


Accidentally Bound

by crochetaway



Series: Accidentally Bound [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Dark, F/M, Multi, Polyamory, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-09
Updated: 2017-07-19
Packaged: 2018-11-11 12:04:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 33,887
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11148024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crochetaway/pseuds/crochetaway
Summary: Hermione Granger is kidnapped and used in a ceremony to bring back the Dark Lord and his inner circle. Instead of dying in the ceremony, she ends up soul-bound to several dark wizards. Poly-fic.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**
> 
> **A/N: A few things about this fic, it's 7 chapters and I'll be posting each week on Thursday evenings (CST). It's already completely written, just going through a final round of beta'ing now.**
> 
> **This is a poly-fic, Hermione is paired with multiple wizards, if this bothers you, please turn back now.**
> 
> **The amazing Canimal is the author who breathed life into the Thorfinn Rowle I am using as a character. She's a boss and you should all go read her fics now!**
> 
> **My lovely beta's are brownlark42 and SlytherclawFaerie. They are awesome and really made this fic what it is. Any further mistakes are all mine.**
> 
> **This originated from the Plunny Factory thread on the DEE group on Facebook by Valli1312. So all props to the idea go to her and I'm just happy she let me play with it.**
> 
> **Finally, I love, love, love your feedback and while I usually can't answer reviews, because I need to use that time to write, I read each and every one of them. So please let me know what you think.**
> 
> **Enjoy!**

"No, Draco! The virgin's blood comes before the unicorn tears," Theo Nott grumbled as he smacked Draco Malfoy's hand away from the cauldron. Theo muttered to himself about how incompetent the rest of the third generationers were. The Dark Lord had been gone for five years, and most of his inner circle were either dead or imprisoned. Even so, Theo had grand ideas. He wanted the muggles gone from earth, and the mudbloods in their proper place - subjugated below the purebloods. And he was going to make it happen.

He had spent the last five years of his life on this project, tracking down ancient text after ancient text, traveling to far-flung locations, and learning forbidden subjects. His plan was to bring the Dark Lord, and as much of his inner circle as possible, back to life, specifically immortal life. Theo had been second in his year at Hogwarts, behind the mudblood Granger, so he knew he could do it. He just had to figure out how.

And he had. Now five years later, he knew exactly how to bring them all back. It involved a tedious potion that took six months to brew in order to bind the Dark Lord and his most loyal followers to the living plane. The ritual had to be done at a veil site, and the closest one was in the Department of Mysteries (DoM) at the Ministry of Magic. After breaking into the Ministry and calling forth as many of the Death Eaters he could, he would finish the incantation that would involve a sacrificing a human who was in love with the brewer of the potion.

Theo picked Hermione Granger as his sacrifice. It made Theo's heart happy when he thought about the irony using the brains of the Golden Trio - Potter's mudblood - as the instrument to bring the Dark Lord back to life. He had spent the last year and a half wooing her. He had her convinced he was in love with her, and that he was the perfect, reformed Death Eater boyfriend. Theo chuckled at the thought that he could ever be in love with a mudblood. After a year of wooing Granger, Theo began on the potion. It would be complete in only a few more weeks. Then he just had to get the potion and Granger down into the DoM, and the wizarding world would never know what hit them.

"Theo, it's turning a ruby red, is that right?" Draco interrupted his thoughts. Theo checked his notes. Ruby red wasn't quite right. It was supposed to be more of a dull, brick red at this stage.

"Give it one more anticlockwise stir," Theo stated. And with that last stir, the potion let out a small poof of steam and dulled to the brick red listed in his notes.

"Perfect," Theo mumbled as he dropped precisely three and a half unicorn tears into the cauldron.

Four more anticlockwise stirs and the potion had to simmer for another three days before they could add the last ingredient. Then they'd let it slow roil for two weeks.

"We're getting so close, Draco," Theo said, smiling at his long-time friend. Draco returned the grin.

"I'm looking forward to seeing my father again," Draco replied. Lucius Malfoy, a second generationer, had been one of the many Death Eaters killed in the final battle.

"I just hope he's close enough to the veil to hear the call," Theo commented. The potion wasn't perfect. They were only targeting the Dark Lord and anyone who had the Dark Mark who was close enough to be called over. If they weren't close to the Dark Lord in the afterlife, or if they had moved on, there was no way they would be called back.

"He will be, he was the Dark Lord's lieutenant for two wars," Draco replied assuredly. Theo just nodded in response. Theo's own father was in Azkaban and a first generation follower. Thoros Nott had gone to Hogwarts with the Dark Lord. Theo was proud of his lineage and connection to the Dark Lord. The first order of business when the Dark Lord was resurrected was to break into Azkaban and release the imprisoned Death Eaters.

The third generationers had nearly all been pardoned or let off with very light community service sentences. The thinking in the Wizengamot at the time was that most of them had been underage when they took the Mark and had been overtly influenced by at least one if not two generations of Death Eaters before them. Theo felt himself chuckle again at the thought. Sure, they had all taken the Dark Mark earlier than their parents before them, but that didn't mean that they didn't want it. Theo still dreamed of his first kill, and it wasn't a nightmare.

* * *

Weeks later, the potion was complete. Theo could hardly contain his excitement when he went to pick up Granger for their date. He had no plans to actually take her out on a date, but instead, he planned to _Stupefy_ her and then portkey with her directly to the DoM. He had an Unspeakable who owed him a favor, hence the portkey connected him directly to a restricted area of the Ministry. As it was a Friday night, he hoped nobody would discover Granger missing until Monday morning. By then it would be too late. The Dark Lord would be alive, along with most of his inner circle.

"Theo!" Granger said as she opened her door. She flung her arms around his neck and gave him a deep kiss. Theo responded as any red-blooded male would. He thought mudbloods were beneath him, but he wasn't above fucking one to get what he wanted, and for a mudblood, Granger was at least good looking.

"Let me grab my shoes and then we'll go," Granger told him as she turned away. As soon as her back was turned, Theo let the _Stupefy_ loose and she crumpled to the floor. Theo pulled an old, broken quill used for the Portkey from his pocket and eyed his watch. Three, he grasped Granger's ankle... two, he braced himself... one, he and Granger were whisked away.

Theo landed hard on the floor of the DoM as Granger's skull cracked against the stone with a sickening thud.

"Circe!" Draco cried at the noise and whirled around with his wand pointed in their direction. He lowered it when he recognized them. Theo looked around the Death Chamber. He hadn't ever been here before but had heard it described to him. It was a small amphitheater with several rows of circular seating around a raised dais. The only thing on the dais was an arch with a veil hanging from it that fluttered slightly. And Draco who was standing on the platform.

Theo was glad to see Draco had prepared the space in front of the veiled arch. A pentagram was drawn on the floor with the potion they had spent so long creating, and the whole stage was circled with a ring of salt. They had portkeyed directly into the circle which meant they could begin immediately. Theo levitated Granger's body to the center of the pentagram.

With a wave of Theo's wand, the candles at the points of the pentagram lit. He muttered an incantation under his breath and the potion-drawn pentagram began to glow a sinister, sickly green.

"With me now, Draco," Theo said quietly.

Together they began to chant, " _Dominus Voldemort: veni ad illam velum. Transire et vivat. Amplecti incorruptionem quaerentibus vitam amplecteretur. Mors comestores: veni ad illam velum. Transire et vivat. Amplecti incorruptionem quaerentibus vitam amplecteretur. Dominus Voldemort, mulier est anima tua accipe fratribus suis. Hoc dici quod anima tua. Mors comestores, mulier est anima tua accipe fratribus suis. Hoc dici quod anima tua_ ," over and over again they chanted. The longer they chanted, the more the power built in the room. The air became oppressive and hot, crackling with energy that made their hair stand on end.

Soon Theo and Draco were both sweating from the effort of pulling souls from beyond the veil. The veil, which had been fluttering and muttering darkly when they entered, was now whipping back and forth in an unfelt wind. Screaming and moaning was heard throughout the Death Chamber. _A little longer,_ Theo thought. He could feel an impressive force on the other side of the veil. He and Draco were mentally pulling and pulling it forward, like an oversized game of tug the rope. They pulled from one end and something else pulled from inside the veil.

Suddenly, the tension snapped with a twang that reverberated throughout the chamber. A wave of power emanated from the arch and the veil. The veil stood straight out from the arch and hovered over Granger. The blast was so forceful it knocked both Theo and Draco off their feet, backward across the floor and almost disturbing the circle of salt behind them. Theo recovered more quickly than Draco and hauled them both forward a few feet. They couldn't break the circle now as it was all that was protecting them.

Just as suddenly as it began, the wave of power dissipated, and the veil fluttered over Granger, brushing her body softly, before hanging very still in the archway. Nothing moved for several moments and Theo thought that they had failed. Then, as seconds slipped slowly by, the edge of the veil moved. A pale hand pushed it to the side and Rabastan Lestrange walked out of the arch from behind the veil into the Death Chamber; Rodolphus Lestrange followed him. Thorfinn Rowle and Antonin Dolohov then crossed into the room.

The veil went still again, and the four men stood quietly in front of it looking around the chamber, eyeing the scene before them. Each of these men had fallen in the second war. Theo was ecstatic at his success. All his hard work had paid off. Then Dolohov's hand flicked, and another man walked through the veil. This was a man that neither Theo nor Draco recognized. He appeared to be in his fifties. He was tall and he had dark, wavy hair, with dark eyes to match.

The dark-eyed man embraced each of the men in front of him and softly said something to each of them. They were all grinning foolishly, but Theo and Draco were too far away to hear what was said. Theo stood and pulled Draco up behind him. He wasn't sure, but he suspected this other man was the Dark Lord - the Dark Lord his father had known.

"Who called us forth?" the strange man asked, looking at Theo and Draco. His voice was resonant and hypnotic.

"We did, my Lord," Draco replied, bowing deeply as Theo did the same.

"Do you know who I am?" the strange man asked. "I do not recognize either of you."

"We know who we intended to call, and we hope you are him," Theo replied. "We know the men you stand with."

"You know my followers? You," he pointed to Draco, "look like Abraxas. Are you his kin?"

"His grandson, my Lord," Draco replied. Theo knew from seeing Abraxas' portrait at Malfoy Manor that Draco was the spitting image of his grandfather: tall, thin, with ice-blue eyes and white-blond hair that hung to his collar. The strange man nodded.

"I'm Tom Riddle, although you may know me as Lord Voldemort," the strange man told them.

Theo and Draco dropped to their knees, "We did it!" Draco cried to Theo in excitement.

"What exactly did you do?" The Dark Lord asked and stepped forward into the pentagram.

That was a mistake.

The instant he crossed the potioned pentagram, Tom Riddle's body dissolved and a sharp, loud scream reverberated through the chamber. The dissolved pieces of the Dark Lord were flung violently back through the arch and past the veil.

Theo and Draco froze in shock. They had not anticipated that reaction by the potioned pentagram. The other four men were equally stunned and very wary. Theo scrambled forward and cast a _Scourgify_ at the pentagram, and the potion and candles disappeared immediately. Rabastan stepped forward, tentatively, to where the pentagram had been. Each man held his breath, but nothing happened.

"Shite, shite, shite!" Theo cried out as he walked up to the veil, kicking the side of the arch. "Six months and a dead mudblood, and we still don't have the Dark Lord."

"Theo?" a very quiet, confused, female voice murmured. Theo whirled to Granger and cast another _Stupefy_ at her.

"Fuck, the mudblood isn't dead. FUCK!" Theo raged. Draco hurried over to his friend and attempted to calm him down.

"We can try again for the Dark Lord, right? We'll start on the potion again tomorrow," Draco started.

"I don't know if it will work a second time! He was supposed to be immortal! If I just killed someone who is immortal, who knows if he even has enough of a soul left to call forth again! And what about Granger? What are we going to do with her? I must have gotten something wrong if she isn't dead, Draco," Theo hissed. "She's supposed to be dead!"

"Maybe you didn't need a human sacrifice-" Theo cut Draco off again.

"If I didn't need a human sacrifice, then why would I have spent the last year and a half wooing the bitch? She is supposed to be dead. I should just kill her and be done with it," Theo turned and aimed his wand at Granger.

"No!" Rodolphus Lestrange shouted and pushed Theo's wand arm down. "I'm rather happy to be back among the living. Who knows what will happen to us," he pointed to his brother and the other two newly alive Death Eaters, "if you kill her."

Theo nodded tightly but clearly wasn't happy about it. "Fine, but she can't leave us. We will have to take her back to Nott Hall and put her in the dungeon. Draco, grab her wand, she usually keeps it in a holster on her right arm."

Theo turned back to the arch and glared at it fiercely. Logically, he knew it wasn't his fault. It was the Dark Lord's fault for being impatient and commandeering. Theo hadn't known what would happen if someone crossed the potioned pentagram, but he also hadn't been willing to try it for himself either. He glanced around the room one last time as Draco cast a _Scourgify_ at the salt circle and hefted Granger onto his shoulder.

Theo pulled out another portkey, a small hand mirror this time. He held it out to the group of men. Once each of them had a hand on it, he tapped it with his wand with a muttered, "Portus." With a strong pull behind each of their navels, they were gone.

The Death Chamber looked like it did before they had arrived, the veil fluttering lightly in the arch as a mutter ran through the chamber just out of earshot. If one listened closely to that mutter, they would hear a scream buried deep inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Final note - the spell Theo and Draco chant was translated into Latin via Google Translate. And here is the original English: Lord Voldemort: Come to the veil. Cross over and live. Embrace immortality, embrace eternal life. Death Eaters: Come to the veil. Cross over and live. Embrace immortality, embrace eternal life. Lord Voldemort: Take this woman's soul as your own. Claim this soul as your own. Death Eaters: Take this woman's soul as your own. Claim this soul as your own.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**
> 
> **A/N: I'm posting on a weekly schedule, Thursday evening (CST), so look for chapter 3 in a week!**
> 
> **This is a poly-fic, Hermione is paired with multiple wizards, if this bothers you, please turn back now.**
> 
> **The amazing Canimal is the author who breathed life into the Thorfinn Rowle I am using as a character. She's a boss and you should all go read her fics now!**
> 
> **My lovely beta's are brownlark42 and SlytherclawFaerie. They are awesome and really made this fic what it is. Any further mistakes are all mine.**
> 
> **This originated from the Plunny Factory thread on the DEE group on Facebook by Valli1312. So all props to the idea go to her and I'm just happy she let me play with it.**
> 
> **The feedback I have received on just the first chapter of this fic has completely blown me away. You guys are amazing! I was so excited to get this chapter up so you all could read it! Every time I look at the numbers I think I must have this fic mixed up with some amazing author who is clearly not me. You have no idea how happy I am that you all are loving this so much. So thank you, thank you, thank you!**
> 
> **Enjoy!**

Hermione Granger woke with a splitting headache. It felt as though an erumpent had danced a jig on her skull all night long. She rolled over to snuggle back into the bed and fell off the small cot she was on. If she wasn't quite awake earlier, now she was wide awake.

She had landed hard on a cold, damp, stone floor. She looked around and found herself in a small cell in what was clearly a dungeon. The floor and walls were made of rough, gray stone. The ceiling was vaulted above her, at least four meters, she thought.

"For the love of Merlin," Hermione muttered with exasperation. This wasn't the first time she had woken up in a cell, but in the past, she had at least been involved in a war. It was supposed to be peace time now. Voldemort had been gone for five years after all. Hermione was a war heroine and she had the scars to prove it. She didn't recognize the cells, so that ruled out Malfoy Manor and Lestrange Court, the two places she had been locked up in at various times during the three-year war.

"Hello! Anyone there?!" Hermione banged on the wood door of the cell. Her fists made a small sound, so she flattened her hand and banged again. There was a small barred window on the door that she looked through, but couldn't see anything more than a small bit of gray stone hallway. She glanced down and saw she was wearing a red date-night dress, but no shoes. And of course, no wand. She tried to remember what she had been doing that she would be dressed in such a way.

She had a date with Theo - had he come to pick her up yet? Or had she been ambushed before he arrived? She couldn't remember. She rubbed the back of her head and winced at the lump she found back there. It felt scabbed up too, which meant she had been hit hard enough to bleed. Such a blow likely had given her a concussion; no wonder she couldn't remember the details of her attack.

She banged her hand on the door again, "Hey! I'm awake!" She turned and leaned her back on the door and started kicking it with the flat of her foot, that made more noise. But stopped after a few minutes, as she felt herself sway. She was exhausted.

After waiting another ten minutes, still, nobody came to the cell door. She turned back to the cot she had been sleeping on. There was a thin, straw mattress and an equally thin, wool blanket. Her feet were freezing from standing on the cold, damp, stone floor. She sat back on the small cot and wrapped the blanket around herself, determined to keep herself from hypothermia.

As she sat on the cot she took in the rest of her condition - she felt fine other than the injury to her head. No other scrapes or bruises or broken bones. She was hungry, but she had been hungry before her date - Theo and she had been planning to go to dinner. She had to pee too, and looking around the cell, she saw that they hadn't even provided her a bucket to pee in. Well, that wouldn't do. She decided to warm up and rest for a little longer before kicking up enough noise to demand some attention from whoever was holding her captive.

Her concussion must have been affecting her more than she knew because, before long, she was asleep again.

* * *

Hermione woke again, this time to the sound of her cell door opening. Her war instincts were in full effect, and she sprang out of the cot to intercept the intruder. When she came face to face with Draco Malfoy, Hermione groaned. Of course. Finding herself locked up in a dungeon naturally meant that Malfoy was somehow involved.

"What can I do for you, Malfoy?" Hermione spat out.

"Granger, Granger, Granger. How do you always find yourself in these situations?" Malfoy smirked at her as he levitated a food tray in behind him and set it on the cot.

Hermione lifted an eyebrow at him, "I'm popular, I guess." She sat next to the tray on the cot and inspected the food: broth, bread, and water. She carefully sniffed it all and could detect no poisons, but she knew there were poisons that were odorless and tasteless. She looked back up at Malfoy, eyebrow still quirked in question.

"Come now, if I were going to go through all of the trouble of poisoning you, I wouldn't have brought you to Nott Hall," Malfoy said his smirk turning cruel. Her blood ran cold. Nott Hall? That was Theo's ancestral home. He hardly went there as he preferred his London flat.

"What am I doing here? I don't remember anything," Hermione replied as casually as possible. She began slowly spooning the broth into her mouth. It was stupid to refuse food, and Malfoy was right - he wouldn't take her prisoner in order to kill her later. He'd just kill her and be done with it.

"Your boyfriend directed me to bring you back here after you weren't killed in the ceremony," Malfoy replied. He leaned against the door frame, hands in his pockets as he watched her eat and surveyed her with his ice-blue eyes. He was tall and slim, and his blond hair rested on the collar of his suit jacket. He was dressed in his customary black suit; he seemed to take after his old, dead Head of House that way. Every time Hermione had seen Malfoy since the war, he wore black on black on black.

Hermione didn't remember a ceremony, but that wasn't too surprising given her concussion. It worried her that Malfoy had implicated Theo in her kidnapping. Hermione loved Theo; she had been hoping he would propose soon.

"I'm afraid I've suffered a concussion, Malfoy. You'll have to either explain it all or leave. I really don't care to hear bits and pieces," Hermione said as she finished her broth. She began tearing pieces off of the hunk of bread and eating those as well.

"Have it your way, Granger," Malfoy replied with a chuckle. "I know that big brain of yours is whirring away. I guess you'll just have to keep wondering." Malfoy turned around and shut the door of the cell. He peered at her through the small window at the top of the door.

"Tap the tray and a house elf will come to take it away. Toodle-ooo, Granger," Malfoy sneered and walked down the hallway. Hermione glared after him, infuriated that he wouldn't tell her anything more than the sly hints he had dropped.

 _Well, Hermione, think about it, what do you know after that conversation?_ One - she was being kept at Nott Hall, her boyfriend's childhood home. Two - Theo was somehow involved in her abduction, and considering she was wearing a date-night dress and no shoes, he probably abducted her from her apartment. Three - Theo and Malfoy were working together somehow. Theo had not introduced her to many of his friends, and while she knew he and Malfoy saw each other occasionally, she did not know how close their relationship was. Four - there was a ceremony that went awry. How awry she didn't know yet, but she planned to figure it out and escape.

She finished her meal and thought about what would happen when she tapped the tray. Malfoy had said a house elf would come take her tray away. Hermione assumed that meant a house elf would apparate into the cell, take the tray and apparate back out of the cell. Hermione planned to go with the house elf. She tapped the tray, grasped it firmly in both hands, and waited for the house elf to show up.

With a loud crack, a house elf appeared in the cell. Hermione recognized the dainty form of Dink, Theo's house elf.

"Dink!" Hermione shouted in surprise.

"Oh, Missy Mione! I must take the tray, you have to let go!" Dink said as she wrung her hands in front of her. Her large ears were drooped in worry and her watery-blue eyes were wide with fear.

"Dink, tell me what's going on," Hermione ordered. She hoped Dink would take orders from her, as she had in the past.

"Master Theo says I cannot tell you, Missy Mione. Either let go of the tray and let me take it, or I must leave!" Dink cried out. She moved to bang her head against the door, but Hermione dropped the tray and stood from the cot, pulling Dink to her so she wouldn't hurt herself.

"I don't want you to get in trouble, Dink. Take the tray, I'll figure something else out," Hermione said, handing the tray to the distraught elf. Dink nodded in relief and popped out of the room.

Hermione lay back on the cot, deep in thought. Dink's presence and statements confirmed that Theo was involved in her capture. Not only was he involved, if she was being held at Nott Hall, he was probably the mastermind behind it. That meant the last year and a half she had been dating him had been some kind of lie. Hermione figured she could cry about it later, but right now she needed to find a way out of this dungeon. She also needed to know why Theo would spend so much time and energy in getting close to her if she was just going to end up his prisoner. There was a deeper plot here, and Hermione was determined to figure it out.

* * *

Hermione awoke to the sound of her cell door opening again. This time it was the man she thought she was in love with. The man she had hoped to spend the rest of her life with. The man she had hoped to have children with. The amount of betrayal she felt was staggering. Hermione didn't even stand from the cot. She sat with her back against the cold stone wall and wrapped the thin blanket around herself.

She waited for him to speak. He stood in the doorway, with the light from the hallway silhouetting him, so she couldn't read his features.

"Did Draco feed you?" he asked abruptly. She nodded sharply, not trusting herself to speak yet.

"I'm sure you have questions," he prompted. She nodded again.

"This is the longest I've ever heard you stay silent, Granger," he sneered at her. Suddenly she was so angry she couldn't hold back the words.

"Do you feel like a big man, Theo Nott? Hmmm? Good job, you pulled one over on the war heroine. The brightest witch of the age fell for your charms. Just let me go. Whatever you were trying to do has failed, so just let me go," Hermione snapped at him.

Theo stalked forward, coming into the light. His light brown hair was impeccable as ever, but his pale green eyes flared with a fiery rage she had never seen before. He had his wand gripped in his hand. "Listen here, you mudblood bitch. You think the world revolves around you. But I have news for you. You were just a pawn in a larger plot that had nothing, absolutely bloody nothing, to do with you."

"Fuck you, Theo. Fuck you and the horse you rode in on. Let me go!" Hermione shouted at him, finally standing. Her wild curls were sparking madly, surrounding her head like a nimbus cloud.

Theo's cold laughter echoed through the dungeon, "Can't do that, Granger. Some very important men seem to think that their survival depends on you. Maybe we should put that to the test?"

Hermione had no idea what Theo was talking about, but she didn't like the look in his eye. This man standing in front of her was not the boyfriend she had come to love over the last year and a half. This was a different person, a person Hermione didn't know and didn't want to know.

"Crucio," Theo said coldly, pointing his wand directly at Hermione's heart. Hermione lost all conscious train of thought as she tumbled to the floor, her nerve endings on fire. She shook and twitched, her joints stiffening and releasing in a macabre dance. The curse lifted Just as suddenly as it had begun.

When Hermione became aware of her surroundings again, she realized it was not just Theo in the cell. There were five other wizards standing above her, all shouting at each other. She couldn't understand what any of them were saying, and they were making her headache that much worse.

"Shut up!" she croaked weakly, but nobody heard her as she was still on the floor, curled into a ball. She slowly stretched her sore limbs and rolled to her stomach before pushing up to her hands and knees.

"Quiet!" she tried again, but couldn't make her voice heard over the shouting wizards.

Suddenly, there was less shouting and a body tumbled to the floor next to her. It was Theo, silenced and bound with a full body bind. He was glaring daggers at her. Hermione was still on her hands and knees trying to will herself to stand when she was hauled to her feet. She found herself with a comforting arm wrapped around her waist. The wizard holding her pressed her back snugly into his chest, steadying and warming her with his closeness.

"All right, Princess?" the wizard whispered in her ear. Hermione was surprised that amid her confusion, she also felt something like arousal. Granted, this had to be the most unarousing position to ever be in - imprisoned, recently tortured, and now surrounded by wizards unknown. Hermione just nodded, not yet trusting herself to speak.

Gradually, she was able to calm her rolling stomach and lift her gaze from the floor to glance around the cell only to have her knees give out at the sight that greeted her. The wizard behind her had a firm hold on her, and she didn't fall. Standing in the cell with her were dead Death Eaters.

Rabastan Lestrange stood across from her a look of concern on his face. He was a tall, thin man with dark auburn hair and startlingly blue eyes. She had watched Neville kill him in the final battle. She had even felt for a pulse - Rabastan was dead, she was certain of it.

Rodolphus Lestrange was standing next to Rabastan. He shorter and stockier than his younger brother, with the same hair and hazel eyes. His face was a mask of no emotion. She knew Rodolphus had died during her escape from Lestrange Court in the last year of the war.

Antonin Dolohov stood near the door, a smirk playing at the corners of his mouth. He was a broad-shouldered man, with swarthy skin and darker cocoa eyes. He had been one of Grawp's victims in the Final Battle.

She drew a breath and managed to look behind her to see the arms holding her. They belonged to none other than Thorfinn Rowle. He was a massive Viking of a man with long dirty-blond hair and gray eyes. She had fought him herself in the final battle and knew he had died before the end, but not by her hand.

Malfoy was standing in the hallway watching everything going on in the cell.

"What happened?" Hermione finally spoke, her knees still threatening to buckle at facing down four dead men and a kidnapper.

Nobody spoke for a moment, then Rodolphus Lestrange stepped forward, "Nott Jr.'s torturing triggered your bond with us."

"Bond? What bond?" Hermione was gaining a little more strength with every moment she stood pressed against Thorfinn.

"This is going to be a long conversation; let's get somewhere more comfortable, eh Princess," Thorfinn suggested quietly, his mouth pressed next to her ear. She nodded in agreement - anything to get out of this cell. Hermione soon found herself swept along the dungeon corridors of Nott Hall, then up into what looked like a study. Rodolphus had floated Theo up with them, although he hadn't been too careful to ensure Theo didn't hit any walls on the way. _I hope he's in some pain tomorrow_ , Hermione thought with bitter relish.

"Dink!" Rabastan Lestrange called out once they were all settled in the study. Hermione was nestled on the couch between Thorfinn and Antonin, who leered down at her disheveled appearance. She ignored him and kept her head straight and her shoulders back. Rodolphus brought a knitted blanket over to her. Hermione accepted it gratefully and wrapped it around her shoulders. She was still deeply chilled from her time in the dungeon.

Dink popped into the room and Rabastan ordered tea and scones for the group. Dink cautiously eyed Theo where he was bound in front of the fireplace, but she didn't say anything before apparating away to get tea sorted.

The room was silent until Dink popped back in with tea. The little elf set the service onto the coffee table in front of the couch and poured Hermione a cuppa just as she liked it. Hermione felt comforted by this familiarity and gratefully accepted the cup from the small creature. Dink popped away without pouring out for the wizards.

"How is it that the house elf loves you, Granger?" Malfoy grumbled as he moved to get himself a cup of tea.

"I have manners," Hermione responded, holding her head high while sipping her tea.

Rodolphus let out a booming laugh, "She's got you there, nephew."

Everyone had their tea, but still, nobody spoke until Hermione did.

"Are one of you going to explain?" Hermione asked in her best pure-blood bitch voice. She didn't know how or why that tone of voice worked, but the men in the room straightened up as if they'd been faced with their grandmothers rapping their knuckles with a wand for slouching. Hermione had discovered a few months into dating Theo how well this tone worked, she had been practicing since then.

"Actually, either Nott or Malfoy would have to do the explaining," Rabastan said.

"Well, Theo is tied up at the moment. So Malfoy? Care to explain?" Hermione asked.

Malfoy sighed and rolled his eyes, "We were trying to bring back the Dark Lord-"

"WHAT?!" Hermione shouted, leaping up from the couch, causing her blanket to fall onto her now vacated seat and her empty teacup to tumble to the floor. She put her hands on her hips and glared down at Malfoy where he sat on a chair across from the couch.

"Do you have any idea how much time and effort I put into killing that monster?" Hermione demanded. She couldn't believe that Malfoy and Nott were so sodding stupid to try to bring that inhumane beast back to life.

"Calm your tits, Granger," Malfoy retorted dryly. "We did succeed, but the Dark Lord made an error and was banished back to beyond the veil."

"Oh, the Dark Lord made an error? Because you never make mistakes, Malfoy?" Hermione glared at Malfoy and slowly sat back on the couch between the two hulking Death Eaters. Thorfinn levitated her teacup and refilled it - fixing it the same as Dink had - before he handed it back to her.

"So the Dark Lord was brought back and then he was banished. That doesn't explain why there are four dead men in this room," Hermione said as she snagged a scone from the tray and began to munch on it. Antonin pulled the blanket back up around her shoulders.

"The failed ceremony was to bring back the Dark Lord and any of the Dark Lord's Death Eaters who were near him in the afterlife. I was sure my father would be among them, but apparently, he has moved on. These four were the Death Eaters closest to the Dark Lord, so they came through," Draco told her.

"Let me get this straight, you somehow found a way around the fourth exception to Gamp's Law, and brought back five people from the dead?" Hermione asked. She was a little astounded; that was a complicated bit of magic.

Malfoy grinned at her, "It was all your boyfriend's doing. He's spent the last five years working on it."

Hermione nodded. She knew Theo was smart - that was one of the things she loved about him. Had loved about him. She swallowed the lump that formed in her throat. No use crying over him now. She was still in danger. Malfoy had just confirmed that she was in a room with six Death Eaters, four of whom had been brought back from the dead.

"And the bond?" Hermione asked, her voice steadier than she could have hoped for.

"You were supposed to be dead," Theo spat out, his body bind loosening enough that he could talk and move his head, but not yet fully broken.

Hermione shrank at the venom in his voice and felt Thorfinn put an arm around her. As much as she didn't want to draw comfort from a Death Eater and known killer, she couldn't help the feeling of safety he provided.

"Now, now, Theo," Rodolphus said, brandishing his wand at the younger man. Theo stayed quiet but glared at the elder Lestrange. Hermione thought it was strange they were protecting her. Maybe this had to do with the bond they kept talking about?

"The bond?" Hermione prompted again as she looked around at the wizards.

"It appears that the ceremony created a bond amongst us," Rabastan gestured at the four previously dead wizards and Hermione. "And instead of killing you, he's bonded our souls."

"WHAT?!" Hermione leaped off the sofa again. She was soul-bound to four previously dead wizards? This just couldn't be. It was bad enough that her boyfriend of a year and a half turned out to be a fraud, but now she was soul-bound with not one, but four perfect strangers? Evil men that she had fought against? And they were all convicted Death Eaters and murderers. What good was a soul-bond if her bond-mates were in Azkaban?

"I can assure you we didn't take the news any better," Antonin told her as he tugged her back down to sit on the couch. Hermione sat stiffly until Antonin wrapped his arm around her waist, tucking her into his side. The same odd sense of comfort she drew from Thorfinn seemed to come from Antonin as well. This must be the bond's work.

"It must have been in the incantation Theo came up with," Malfoy offered with a shrug. He didn't seem to care much about Hermione or the formerly dead wizards' predicament.

"Well this is a rather large bloody problem, isn't it?" Hermione snapped at the lot of them.

She got a round of shrugs back. _Men are so aggravating,_ Hermione thought. She stood once more and held out her hand.

"My wand," she said coldly. She didn't know if it would work, but it was worth a shot. She was going to get out of here if she could.

"I don't think so, Granger," Malfoy told her as Theo struggled to stand from the floor. "We just admitted to attempted murder, we aren't about to let you walk out of here."

"Then why bother bringing me up from the dungeon in the first place?" Hermione asked. She refused Thorfinn's tugs to get her to sit back down.

"We weren't going to, but then Nott started torturing you and our bond wouldn't stand for that," Rabastan told her with a sneer. She sneered right back. She wasn't a school girl any longer, and she could hold her own against these wizards.

"Oh, lucky me for the bond then," Hermione rolled her eyes at the impossibility of the situation.

"Yes, you are lucky. Had the ceremony gone as expected, you would be dead," Theo said in a chilly voice. Hermione glared at him still standing. She shrugged Antonin's hand from her waist, pushed Thorfinn's hand from her arm, and stalked forward to where Theo was standing in front of the fireplace.

"Theodore Thoros Nott, you are a slimy, foul, little cockroach, and if I never see you again in my life it will be too damned soon!" Hermione shouted as she raised her right hand and slapped him hard across the face. She whirled around before he could recover and stalked toward Malfoy.

"And you! I testified at your trial, you evil ferrety git!" Malfoy took one look at Hermione and hopped out of the chair he was in. He ran behind the couch to take refuge behind the wizards who sat there.

"Come back here, you sneaky snake!" Hermione shouted as she chased after him. Hermione was sure she could manage a simple bat-bogey hex wandlessly. She was rounding the coffee table when an arm snaked out and she was promptly hauled onto someone's lap. Hermione kicked her legs and pushed at the arms holding her.

"Let me go!" she shouted, but the wizard held on tight.

"Stop squirming, love," he panted in her ear and suddenly she could feel his arousal, hot and long at her bum. She immediately stopped moving. Her eyes widened and she looked over her shoulder to see that it was Rodolphus who had her in his lap. He chuckled at the look on her face.

"It's the bond," he whispered in her ear. Hermione nodded, thinking hard. Of course, the most common type of soul-bond was the soul-mate bond, in which mates were romantically linked. It generally included a compulsion to mate. Oh, gods. She was going to want to mate with these wizards; they were going to try to mate with her. She sat very still in Rodolphus' lap as he ran his hands up and down her arms, soothing her in a way she wouldn't have expected.

"I think the Princess just came to the same conclusion we came to earlier," Thorfinn said with a smirk.

Antonin smirked as well, "Ready for bed, _mishka_?"

"You couldn't handle me in bed, _sakharok_ ," Hermione snapped back, causing Rabastan to chortle out loud.

"He may not, but I'm sure I can," Rodolphus hummed in her ear as he rolled his hips into hers. Hermione gasped at the blatant innuendo and the feel of his length rubbing along her bum as he pushed his hips into hers.

"Stop it!" Hermione shouted, trying to stand, but Rodolphus held her fast and chuckled behind her.

"Oh, stop molesting the poor girl, brother," Rabastan chided. He stood from the chair next to Rodolphus and pulled Hermione up to standing.

"I'm sure she's had a long two days in the dungeons, so we should let her get cleaned up. And get a bath," he added as an afterthought. He put his arm around her waist and began leading her from the room.

"You expect me to stay here?" Hermione asked skeptically as Rabastan led her out of the study and into the hallway. They climbed the stairs to the first floor while Rabastan answered her.

"We're working on getting things sorted with the Ministry. While we do that, we're taking the hospitality of Nott Jr. And since he's outnumbered…" Rabastan trailed off as he waggled his eyebrows at Hermione. Hermione couldn't help but chuckle at his antics.

"How are you getting things sorted at the Ministry?" Hermione wanted to know how they expected to escape Azkaban. And whether there was any hope for the soul-bond to be reversed. Surely, these Death Eaters didn't want to be bound to a muggleborn, and certainly, the four of them wouldn't want to be bound to one woman.

"Getting our estates returned to us has been the biggest priority. Although we did register the bond first…" Rabastan started before Hermione cut him off.

"What do you mean you registered the bond?" Hermione could feel panic well up in her chest. If the bond was registered that would mean they wouldn't be able to reverse it, and registering it meant that people would know about it. She couldn't have anyone know that she was bound to four Death Eaters. She had finally gotten her reputation in the press repaired. This news would cause every publishing house in the wizarding world to begin hating her again.

"Well, if we didn't register the bond, then how would we claim our estates? We figured registering the bond would only bolster our case in the Wizengamot," Rabastan explained.

"So you are telling me that the Ministry thinks we're married?" Hermione squeaked.

"Well, bonded, but yes, it's essentially the same thing," Rabastan replied. He clearly wasn't paying attention to Hermione's reaction, because he kept going when she stopped, and he didn't notice that she was no longer by his side.

"I can't be bonded to four bleeding Death Eaters!" Hermione shouted. "What would Harry and Ron say? The press is going to vilify me," she moaned as she hung her head in her hands.

"Don't worry about the press. You're titled now. You just became Lady Lestrange, Lady Rowle, and Mrs. Dolohov. You have more money and power behind your name than Hades himself would know what to do with," Rabastan looked back at her and extended his hand, beckoning her forward.

"But I don't want to be any of those things! And you all are going to Azkaban. I just inherited a load of work!" Hermione complained as she trudged toward him.

"We are not going to Azkaban, not if we can help it," Rabastan replied, grasping her by the waist again.

"How do you figure?" Hermione asked looking up at him as he guided her up another set of stairs to the second floor.

"We were already punished for our crimes," Rabastan said with a shrug.

They had reached the second floor and were heading down a hallway when he stopped abruptly and opened a door. He led her into the largest bedroom she had ever seen. It was so large that it had to have been the size of the Gryffindor common room. It was decorated exquisitely in creams and beiges. Hermione thought about what Rabastan had told her. It made sense that they thought they could get out of going to Azkaban, as they had died after all. Wasn't that the most final of punishments that the Wizengamot could give? But she wasn't so sure that the wounds from the war would be healed enough for the Wizengamot to allow that argument to fly.

"Our solicitor, Pucey, is arguing the case today actually in front of the full Wizengamot. As long as we receive pardons, we won't be staying at Nott Hall much longer. We'll retire to another property," Rabastan said as he walked toward the bed. He turned to face her and plopped down on the bed, lying on his back and looking up at the canopy. He patted the space next to him as if inviting her to join him. Hermione made a rude noise in her throat.

"Not Lestrange Court," Hermione replied firmly. No way was she going to live in a house she had once been kept a prisoner in. Hermione wasn't stupid; she had no illusions that these four wizards would let her go on living the life she had been prior to being bonded with them. And if they were going to be choosing a residence, she would have some say in it.

Rabastan looked up at her from the bed, reclining on an elbow as he studied her. "Fine, we can save Lestrange Court for our heirs."

"Heirs?! Oh no, Lestrange. I will not be providing anyone with any heirs. You better find a different broodmare, because it won't be me," Hermione told him fiercely.

"Can't," Rabastan said. He didn't clarify or go on. He just raised an eyebrow at her as if challenging her to contradict him.

"What do you mean can't? You can't find another brood mare? Or won't?" Hermione glared at him and put her hands on her hips in an unconscious move to make herself look bigger.

"Can't. See it's a part of the soul-bond. Can't have sex with anyone else. Antonin tried two nights ago and his cock went floppy as soon as he tried to stick it in her," Rabastan told her crudely.

Hermione grimaced at the picture that made in her head. Then she felt her fury rise. She turned on her heel to go back downstairs and give Nott and Malfoy another tongue lashing. They had not only kidnapped her, they attempted to murder her and botched it so badly she was soul-bound to four wizards who could only have sex with her. She was going to be required to sexually service four wizards - wizards she didn't choose and who hated people like her, for the rest of her bloody life. And Dolohov, the thought of him trying to sleep with another witch made her blood boil. She didn't want to think too hard about why she felt that way; this confusion, between jealousy and dread, made her even angrier.

She took three steps before a pair of arms slid around her waist and she was hauled against the hard chest of a strange wizard for the third time that day.

"Going somewhere, kitten?" Rabastan asked, his breath hot in her ear. She could feel his firm chest behind her and he placed his hands on her hips as he rocked his hips into the small of her back. He was hard, she could feel his cock and in response felt desire pool in her belly.

"I – I am going to go kill Nott…" she trailed off when Rabastan began nuzzling her neck and nipping at the skin, then laving it with his tongue.

"Stay with me," Rabastan purred into her ear as he caught the lobe between his teeth. She tilted her head to the side to give him better access, and he pulled her tighter to him, slipping a leg between hers. He moved one hand to low on her belly and slid it down toward her mons, and cupped her there. The other came up to caress her breast. He tweaked her nipple through the fabric of her dress and bra. Hermione moaned in response and closed her eyes as she enjoyed the sensations.

She tried to marshal her thoughts. This was insanity. This was a dead man who was touching her so deliciously. This was a killer, a Death Eater. Hell, he had even kept her captive in his own home during the war. Why was she allowing him to do this to her? Why was she enjoying it so much? He began sliding the capped sleeves of her dress off her shoulders and the hand on her breast moved up to her collar bone. He lightly rested his fingers against the side of her neck and stroked the pulse point there.

"How good does this feel, kitten?" he panted between the open mouthed kisses he was planting on her neck and shoulder.

"Does it make you want to fuck?" he groaned as he ground his hips into her. Hermione couldn't stop her moan if she tried. Dirty talk was her biggest turn on.

"It sounds like you want to fuck, kitten," Rabastan murmured, drawing out _fuck_ , making it two syllables as he emphasized it with another hip roll. Hermione nodded. She did want to fuck Rabastan right then. He was making her body feel incredible - her nerve endings were on fire. She had thought she and Theo were very sexually compatible, but Rabastan felt better. He made her feel small and desirable, and she didn't know the last time she had been this aroused from just a few touches.

Rabastan spun her in his arms and before she could catch her balance, his lips crashed to hers. She gasped at the sudden assault and he took advantage by invading her mouth with his tongue. The kiss was intense and deep and took Hermione's breath away. He pulled away from her and began kissing down the other side of her neck as he pushed her dress down. It pooled at her feet and she stood before him in her bra and knickers. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and drove her hands through his shoulder length dark auburn locks.

He lifted her from her feet and she wrapped her legs around his waist to steady herself. He turned and walked to the bed, gently setting her atop it. Rabastan stayed standing and pulled out his wand, banishing his clothes to the corner. Whatever spell he used neatly folded them in a pile on a chair. Hermione made a mental note to ask him that spell, but before she finished that thought he was on her, stretching out above her and kissing her mouth. He said the same spell, vanishing Hermione's undergarments and then tossed the wand behind him. He trailed his hands down her body, skimming by her breasts and center. He touched everything else, except where she so desperately wanted him to touch. Her own hands were splayed on his back and she rolled her hips into his.

"Please," she begged, breaking the silence that had invaded the room until then.

"Tell me," he whispered. "Tell me what you want."

"You… R'bastan… fuck me," Hermione panted out in between fierce kisses to every part of Rabastan she could reach. He smelled like spice and musk, and Hermione couldn't get enough of him.

Rabastan looked up at her, smirking at his name on her lips. He kissed her deeply and then was gone before Hermione realized what was happening. He had pushed her thighs apart and settled between them. The first lick of her slit had her moaning and arching her back. He wrapped his arms around her thighs to hold her in place and went to town. He licked, flicked, and fucked her with his tongue. When he moved one of his arms and slid a finger inside her, Hermione keened in response to the promise of being filled.

"More… I need more…" she pleaded with him as her hands clenched the duvet cover and her head tossed from side to side. She was so close, so incredibly close to what promised to be a fantastic orgasm and she was chasing it hard.

Rabastan than did something nobody had ever done. He sucked on her clit and Hermione tipped over the edge as wave after wave of pleasure stole over her body. Before she had a chance to recover, Rabastan entered her in one smooth stroke. Hermione arched into the intrusion, her body aching to be filled. At the moment Rabastan entered her, a bright blue light filled the bedroom and Hermione felt a slight burn and pinch on her left wrist. She couldn't think about what that meant right now.

Instead, she decided to enjoy the moment and wrapped her legs around his waist - digging her heels into his arse as she rode out the rest of her orgasm. She clutched his shoulders and panted into his neck as he slowly pulled out and slid back in, bottoming out. She could feel the soft slap of his sack as he set a slow, rocking pace. Her desire swirled through her. It built and built until she felt she was on the precipice of a huge cliff, just waiting to be pushed over. He twisted his hips and caught her g-spot. The touch, the taste, the feel of this man on top of her sent her head spinning.

"Gorgeous, kitten," he panted and picked up his pace. He drew up and braced himself on his elbows and snapped his hips into her.

"Bast," Hermione moaned, "more!" She was so close. She lifted her hips to meet his, and combined with the twist, he hit the right spot and sent her careening over the edge again. She sobbed his name over and over and over again as she came down from her high. Rabastan kept pumping; his pace growing faster and wilder as her walls clenched down on him.

"Gods, so close, kitten," he moaned into her neck.

"Come on," Hermione panted. She wanted to feel him come inside her, to feel his seed coat her walls. She pulled him closer with her heels as his pace began to fall apart. She gripped his shoulders and back with her nails. She pulled him closer and tighter to her. He grunted her name when he came, pumping forward once, twice, a third time before stilling. He lay atop her and panted for a few moments. Hermione held him close, unwilling to part from his heat and enjoying the intimacy of the moment, feeling him throb.

When he pulled out of her and flopped onto the bed beside her, Hermione whined at the loss of contact. She was just about to get up when Rabastan summoned his wand and got the duvet out from underneath them to cover them with it. He pulled her close, chest to chest, and as she stared up into his brilliant blue eyes, Hermione felt safer than she had in the last 48 hours.

"Sleep, kitten," Rabastan said as he gently kissed her forehead, then her nose, and finally her lips. Building the kiss to slow, languid, liquid kisses that drugged her.

"Yes, Bast," Hermione replied closing her eyes. She liked that. Rabastan was a mouthful, but Bast suited him. And so she slept.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**
> 
> **A/N: This chapter is a day early! Woo-hoo! It was ready, so I decided to post. Expect the next chapter to show up next Thursday CST though.**
> 
> **This is a poly-fic, Hermione is paired with multiple wizards, if this bothers you, please turn back now.**
> 
> **The amazing Canimal is the author who breathed life into the Thorfinn Rowle I am using as a character. She's a boss and you should all go read her fics now!**
> 
> **My lovely beta's are brownlark42 and SlytherclawFaerie. They are awesome and really made this fic what it is. Any further mistakes are all mine.**
> 
> **Much love to brownlark42, she's a real life friend from college, (10 years of friendship!) and is having a tough week and still found time to beta this chapter for me. She's seriously the best.**
> 
> **This originated from the Plunny Factory thread on the DEE group on Facebook by Valli1312. So all props to the idea go to her and I'm just happy she let me play with it.**
> 
> **The response to this fic in two short weeks is ridiculously insane. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I'm so glad you all are loving this fic so much. It was really fun to write and I love seeing all of your thoughts and guesses. It totally tickles me pink!**
> 
> **Enjoy!**

When Hermione awoke, Bast was gone and she was in the bed alone. She stretched languidly. Hermione felt her joints pop with a delicious ache that meant she had been well shagged. She sat up - the duvet pooling around her waist - to discover that the room was not empty. Sitting in a chair in front of the fireplace was Antonin Dolohov. Of all her bond-mates, he scared her the most. The Lestrange's had kept her prisoner, but Antonin had attempted to kill her at the Department of Mysteries when she was a fifth year at Hogwarts. She still bore a small, twisty scar on her breastbone from his purple fire curse. She yelped and pulled the duvet back up to cover her breasts.

"Nothing I won't be seeing soon, _mishka_ ," Antonin leered at her.

Hermione glared back at him. He may be her bonded mate, but if he thought he was just hopping into bed with her he had another thing coming. Then she felt herself flush. Hadn't that been what she had just done with Bast?

She dropped her head into her hands. _Oh, Merlin, I cannot believe I just did that._ Hermione berated herself, _not two minutes after finding out your boyfriend, love of your life, is a betraying cockroach, you go and shag someone else?_ It didn't matter that the someone else was her bond-mate and made her feel safer than Theo had ever made her feel. It didn't matter that he was gorgeous and charming and delicious in bed. No, Hermione was never a first date kind of woman, and here she was giving it up without a date at all.

" _Mishka_ , whatever it is, it can't be that bad," Antonin said quietly from his chair across the room.

Hermione looked up at him. She couldn't believe the tone of his voice - he almost sounded like he cared.

"I'm a slag," Hermione said blankly. She knew it to be true and was just waiting for him to agree with her, but he surprised her by laughing.

"Good," Antonin said with a firm nod. How could being a slag be a good thing?

"Why is that good?" Hermione asked, perplexed by his behavior. He had a wand and hadn't attempted to kill her yet, even though he had tried in the past. And now he thought it was a good thing she was a slag and had just slept with Bast?

"Because you have three more bond-mates to bed. Can't have you going frigid on us now," he leered at her again.

 _Oh, Circe's pink knickers!_ Hermione fell back onto the bed and covered her eyes with her hands. How had she gotten herself into this situation? Kidnapped. Bonded to once dead Death Eaters. What was she going to do? How was she going to survive this? She had a sudden thought.

"What day is it?" she asked sitting up again.

"Monday, about 10 am," Antonin replied casting the Tempus charm.

"Nimue's tiny-toe! I have to get to work!" Hermione shouted standing from the bed, forgetting all about her nakedness as she rushed about the room looking for her abandoned clothing. Hearing a booming laugh, she turned to glare at Antonin. She had one leg in her knickers and had been hopping about trying to get the other leg in. Her comical stance only had Antonin laughing even harder.

"If you are quite finished," Hermione declared in her pure-blood bitch voice. It worked, as usual. Antonin stopped laughing and sat up straighter in the chair.

"Is something funny?" Hermione asked with her hands on her hips, her knickers fell back to her feet. She was trying her best to ignore her nudity in favor of scolding the wizard.

Antonin eyed her up and down appreciatively; it took everything in Hermione not to cover herself. He stood from his chair and stalked towards her; he looked like a predator as he moved. He placed his hands on her shoulders and Hermione had to tilt her head back to meet his dark eyes. Hermione shivered as he slid his hands down her arms and rested them on her waist, just above where her own hands rested on her hips.

"Nothing is funny, _mishka_ ," Antonin said as he squeezed her waist slightly. Hermione was overcome by the fierceness of his expression. He ran so hot and cold, one moment leering at her, and the next staring at her with such heat in his eyes that Hermione felt her own arousal sweep through her. She placed her hands on his clothed chest, feeling the firmness there. He was quite old, she thought. Maybe even as old as her own father, who was 65, but being a wizard, he didn't show it. He didn't look like he was much over 45.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked her. She must have had a look of concentration on her face.

"You," she replied, and he smirked in return.

"You should get dressed," he told her. She raised her eyebrow at him. He had her in the perfect position to do what he wanted and he wanted her to get dressed?

"We have a meeting with the rest of your bond-mates," he explained at the questioning look in her eyes.

She nodded and stepped back from him, ignoring the slight feeling of disappointment welling in her chest. _I am not going to be disappointed that Antonin Dolohov doesn't want to sleep with me_ , she told herself. As soon as she had stepped back and bent to pick up her knickers, Antonin flicked his wand and vanished them. Hermione stood and cocked an eyebrow at him. He smirked and flicked his wand again. Laid out on the bed was a beautiful set of cornflower blue silk robes.

"Dolph went shopping," Antonin explained. Hermione nodded in response and went to dress in the robes provided. She was pleased she didn't have to get back into her grimy dress and underthings. She had been wearing them for two days straight. It was then that she realized she hadn't even bathed yet.

"Do I have time for a shower?" she asked Antonin, looking over her shoulder at him.

"You going to let me join you?" he replied, waggling his eyebrows at her. She rolled her eyes, secretly pleased that it seemed he did want her after all. And then immediately questioned why that should please her at all. Three days ago she had no secret desire to want to shag a dead man, and now her heart soared at the thought of him?

"Do we have time for you to join me?" she retorted. She wasn't about to show this man how insecure she felt about this whole situation. He laughed at her and gestured her to the bathroom.

"Probably not, _mishka_. Be quick about it though. We're meeting in the study. I'll tell the others you'll be down after your bath," Antonin headed out the door. Hermione blinked after him. That hadn't been what she was expecting. She had expected him to join her, and if not, at least watch her. She certainly didn't expect him to leave her alone. And then have her meet them in the study, clearly unsupervised. Did they think she was just going to go along with all of this? Hermione shook her head and entered the bathroom.

The bathroom was huge. It had a standing shower with four shower heads and a tub that rivaled the size of the prefect's tub at Hogwarts. It was covered in white and cream marble, matching the bedroom. Hermione located a towel and turned on the shower. She was going to be as quick as possible and see if she could sneak out of Nott Hall. She didn't have a wand but she thought she could either Floo or maybe convince Dink to take her someplace. She didn't know exactly where Nott Hall was, but if it was anything like most pure-blood estates, it was in the middle of nowhere.

As she was scrubbing, she noticed there was a faint line around her left wrist. The lighting in the shower was poor, so she couldn't see very well what exactly it was. She finished in a hurry and towel dried her hair for a few minutes before combing through it with her fingers. It was going to be a massive bushy mess since she didn't have her wand to do her normal post-shower hair charms. But it would have to do.

Standing in front of the vanity, Hermione studied her wrist in the better lighting. A blue line wound around her left wrist. It looked like it was part of a braid, but the other strands were missing.

The soul-bond. It truly was a soul-bond if she had a bond-mark on her wrist. Hermione took a deep breath, endeavoring not to freak out. It wouldn't do any good, it was done. She was officially soul-bound to Rabastan Lestrange, and only death would separate them now. But she hadn't completed the bonding with the rest - apparently only intercourse would complete the bond.

She left the bathroom and was pleased to see that the bedroom was empty. She dressed in a hurry. They hadn't provided her with shoes, but hopefully, that wouldn't be a problem. She went to the fireplace in her room but didn't see any Floo powder. This was no surprise - it wasn't typical for every fireplace in a residence to be hooked up to the Floo, especially one in a bedroom. She would just need to find the Floo fireplace and hope that it wasn't in the study, where she might run into someone while she was looking for it.

She was on the second floor, so she headed toward the stairs. The Floo was probably on the ground floor, in either the foyer or a reception hall of some kind. She slipped down the stairs as quietly as possible, thankful she didn't have shoes on to make a racket on the marble floor. She spied the study as she walked across the entrance hall. That room had to be avoided. She opened a door and discovered a set of stairs downward, no doubt leading to the dungeon she had so recently been in. After the third door, she found the drawing room. It had a huge fireplace and a pot of Floo powder on the mantle. She danced a small jig of happiness. _I'm getting out of here,_ she thought as she grasped a handful of Floo powder and shouted out her destination.

She Flooed first to the Leaky Cauldron, and then to her apartment. When she reached her apartment she danced another jig and promptly tore off the fancy silk dress robes and dressed in her comfortable sweats. She owled in sick to work, then owled an emergency message to Harry asking him to come to her apartment. She dug out Bellatrix's wand from beneath floorboard under her bed. She had kept it after the war - it didn't work nearly as well as her original wand, but it got the job done.

While she waited for Harry's arrival, she began placing strict wards on her Floo and doors and windows, allowing only herself entry for the time being. She barred entry to anyone wearing a glamor or concealment in any form. She left out food for her part-kneazle, Crookshanks, and straightened her apartment. Hermione was in the middle of cleaning the dishes when Harry arrived. She entered the lounge and found him caught in a magical web. Hermione grinned to herself, happy that her wards worked so well. If it had been somebody she didn't want in, they wouldn't have been able to Floo at all. With a wave of her wand, Harry was free from the net.

"That's an Auror level charm, Hermione," Harry told her, clearly impressed with the spell work.

"Who do you think I picked it up from?" Hermione asked as she gave Harry a peck on the cheek in greeting. She waved her wand again and a tea set floated into the room from the kitchen.

"I have a problem. I need you to stay calm, but you are the only one I can tell for the moment," Hermione explained as she poured tea. Harry nodded his agreement. Hermione was thankful he had matured in the years since school and could trust him not to fly off the handle.

Then she poured her heart out. She explained how Theo had duped her for the last year and a half. How he and Malfoy had plotted to bring Voldemort back from beyond the veil. She was fuzzy on the details as to why Voldemort hadn't come back, but she described how four previously dead Death Eaters were now alive and kicking. She told him about the apparent soul-bond, then showed him her wrist. Harry - who was soul-bound to Ginny through their marriage - gasped when he saw it. He revealed his own wrist which had a very intricate red, gold, and bronze design on it, the result of his bond with Ginny.

"Merlin's pants, what am I going to do Harry?" Hermione asked hanging her head into her hands.

"Have they contacted the Ministry? Wouldn't we just put them in Azkaban for crimes committed?" Harry responded as he rubbed Hermione's back. They were sitting side by side on the couch and Hermione leaned into her best friend.

She took a deep breath, "According to Bast, they contacted the Ministry right away and are negotiating the terms of their freedom. They are fighting a return to Azkaban based on the fact that they were dead, and now are alive. Malfoy and Nott were both at Nott Hall when I left, so I'm guessing my bond-mates aren't being truthful with the Ministry about how they came to be living once more."

Harry raised his eyebrow at her, seemingly waiting for something. But Hermione was confused.

"What?" she asked.

"Who is Bast? Rabastan Lestrange? And you referred to them as your bond-mates. Are you sure you are that upset about this?"

When had Harry become that insightful? But Merlin, he was right! She had used her private nickname to refer to one of them and then called them her bond-mates. Did she want to be with these men on some unconscious level? That was absurd. They were Death Eaters, and they hated muggles and muggleborns. Why would she want to be with them? It was too confusing to think about.

"I don't know, Harry," she responded shaking her head again. She was so confused about this whole situation.

"I do know that they are probably going to come and try to find me," she told him. She told him how Theo had cursed her with the Cruciatus and that had brought the four men running. Apparently, a bond meant that they could feel her somehow? She wasn't sure, and she definitely didn't think she could feel them.

"We should go to the Ministry," Harry told her. "I"m sure they can help. Maybe they can remove the soul-bond altogether."

"Do you think they could? I know a marriage soul-bond can't be removed, but this technically isn't marriage, is it?" Hermione asked feeling hopeful.

"I don't think it could hurt. And we can figure out where they are in the process of gaining their freedom," Harry replied. "We can at least get Nott and Malfoy prosecuted for their role in all of this."

"Yes, Malfoy and Nott have to pay," Hermione vowed.

She still couldn't believe that she had fallen for Theo's games for a year and a half. She thought back, trying to see if there had been a hint anywhere. Theo had been a good actor. She hadn't suspected anything at the time, and she couldn't think of any obviously suspicious behavior. She shook her head and decided to get ready to head to the Ministry with Harry. He was right, the Ministry should be able to help. Kingsley Shacklebolt was Minister for Magic and she had a decent relationship with him. She was sure he would be able to help her figure her way out of this problem.

* * *

Things began to go wrong as soon as they arrived at the Ministry. They Flooed in and were immediately swamped by the press coterie that set up camp every day in the Floo Atrium. Harry was typically able to avoid them when going to work with a wave of a hand, and the Aurory had private Floo's for any Auror-specific business. Hermione didn't work for the Ministry, so it was her presence that set the press off. They ducked through, ignoring all of the shouted questions, but Hermione was sure that they would be written up in the morning edition.

Harry had owled Kingsley from Hermione's apartment and they had an appointment waiting for them. Unfortunately, when they arrived at Kingsley's office, he wasn't the only person waiting for them. Silvanus Wood was the Head of the Department of Mysteries and a man who had been trying to get Hermione to work for them since before she graduated from Hogwarts. He was a short, thin man with gray hair and beard, and a hawkish gaze.

Hermione loathed Wood. She would have gladly come to work at the Ministry years ago if it hadn't been for him. She was unhappy to see he was going to be present for their meeting with Kingsley. She was even more unhappy with the look on Kingsley's face. He was generally a jolly sort, but right now he looked like he had swallowed a lemon.

"Harry, Hermione, come in, come in please," Kingsley stood from behind his desk and waved them forward. He ordered tea for the four of them and poured. Nobody spoke and the office filled with a quiet, expectant tension.

"I think it's best if you tell us why you are here, Hermione," Kingsley finally said. Hermione knew something was wrong. Officially, Harry had called this meeting, and she knew Harry had been vague in his note. Kingsley's tone combined with Silvanus Wood's slight smirk made the hair on Hermione's arms stand on end.

"I have a problem," Hermione began. "This is not a problem I created, it is a problem I was forced into." She wanted to be clear that she was the victim of this situation. She explained as much as she knew about Nott and Malfoy's plot to bring back Voldemort. And about the four previously dead wizards to which she was now apparently soul-bound.

"I told you, Minister Shacklebolt. I told you this girl was responsible for the break-in of the Death Chamber over the weekend. Her magical signature was splashed all over that room!" Silvanus Wood was pointing his bony finger at Hermione as he shouted at Kingsley.

"Now, Silvanus, it sounds like Hermione isn't at fault here…" Kingsley started before he was cut off by Wood again.

"It doesn't matter! The law is clear! Her magical signature was registered as bringing back the dead! In the Ministry's own Death Chamber! Section 17, Article 43, Line 12, Part B of the 1724 Death Magic Act clearly states that if a witch or wizard's magical signature is detected in attempting to or succeeding in bringing back the dead, they are subject to a penalty of no less than five years in Azkaban," Silvanus said the last bit with a sly smirk at Hermione.

Hermione paled.

"Kingsley, I assure you -" Hermione began, trying to keep the pleading out of her voice.

"Don't listen to her, Minister! She is a Dark Witch! I'll call the Aurors and we'll have her taken to Azkaban this afternoon!" Wood's words dripped with glee.

"Hold on a moment, Wood," Harry said. "I'm an Auror and I won't be taking her to Azkaban. I'll argue against this action," Harry warned as he stood from his chair looking down on the department head.

"You don't lead the Aurors, Potter," Wood spat at him. Hermione had gone from extremely concerned to mildly panicked. Wood wasn't going to let this go and he was the head of the Department of Mysteries. The Wizengamot would listen to his council and she knew Kingsley didn't have enough clout over the Wizengamot to overrule Wood. This was turning into a very, very bad idea. Hermione was absently rubbing the wrist with the bond-mark on it over and over again as the men descended into shouting over her. She sunk lower in her chair and pulled her knees up to her chest. The Minister's office door burst open and Unspeakables flooded the room. Hermione groaned to herself and pushed her face into her knees trying to block it all out.

She was hauled unceremoniously to her feet when an Unspeakable grasped her upper left arm and pulled her back. He was a very tall man with brown hair and an unremarkable face. Hermione would not have remembered enough of it to describe it later. That meant he was a top-level Unspeakable. When Unspeakables were working, they had a highly controlled charm they used to make their features unrecognizable to the common person.

"You'll be coming with me, Missy," he muttered to her as he pulled her out of Kingsley's office. Harry hadn't even turned around and Kingsley didn't seem to notice.

Hermione opened her mouth to say something and the Unspeakable cast a silencing spell at her.

"None of that now. I'll be taking you down to the DoM cells, and you'll get your day in court before the next portkey to Azkaban leaves," he told her as he dragged her to the lifts.

In desperation, Hermione sprang into action. She began prying at the Unspeakable's hands, trying to stop him from clasping her arm. The Unspeakable just tugged her harder, and Hermione frantically started kicking at his knees and shins, trying to get him to release her. She attacked any bit of him she could reach in her effort to free herself. The struggle was largely silent as Hermione had been silenced and the Unspeakable didn't say a word. He finally released her and when Hermione went for her wand, he cast a Petrificus Totalus at her. Hermione teetered for a bit before she fell back and landed on the marble floor with a loud thud. Had Hermione been able to wince and cry out, she would have screamed as the wound on the back of her head re-opened and she suffered a second concussion.

The Unspeakable disillusioned her and she watched as he levitated her through the Ministry and down to the ninth level, the Department of Mysteries. The Department of Mysteries looked just as it had in her fifth year, the last time she had been down here. The Unspeakable levitated her to the hub and she felt the wind on her face as the doors spun around her. He picked a door by some unknown method and levitated her through it. They walked down a long hallway that was clad in dark gray marble.

Hermione heard a cell door opened and then she wasn't levitating anymore. She was laying on a firm surface - she assumed it was a cot and that she was now in the cell, but all she could see from her petrified point was the walls and ceiling. After some time alone in the cell, she fell asleep.

When she woke, the Petrificus Totalus had worn off. The Department of Mysteries cell was remarkably similar to the cell in Nott Hall. So similar she might have thought she was back at Nott Hall if not for the institutional lighting in the hallway outside the cell. Hermione reached a hand back to the wound on her head and once again, her fingers came away sticky. She knew was in an even worse position than she had been when she woke up in Nott Hall. The Ministry was infinitely more powerful and she could be chewed up and left to rot in Azkaban for years. She could be there for the rest of her life and nobody would be able to do anything about it. Or nobody would care. With a lurch, she thought about Sirius Black, who had been innocent and spent twelve years in Azkaban.

Worse, she had suffered two concussions within a week. If she didn't get medical attention soon, she could suffer permanent brain damage. Hermione sat on the cot and searched for Bellatrix's wand - it was gone of course. How did she find herself in a mess like this? She was just an Arithmancy editor for the _Ars Arithma_ monthly journal. She thought she had put all of the action and adventure from her adolescence behind her. She had hoped anyway. What was she going to do? How was she going to get out of this mess? For once in her life, Hermione didn't have any answers.

It must have reached 'bedtime' for the Department of Mysteries cells because in the next moment all of the lights went out. Hermione sat for a while longer and listened to the silence around her. Then she laid down, turned away from the black room, and tried to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N: Ooo! Also I post a manip for each chapter to tumblr! Follow me there at crochetawayhpff!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**
> 
> **A/N: This chapter is a day early! I realized earlier that I would be traveling tomorrow evening for the holiday and needed to get this posted tonight! Lucky you guys, two weeks in a row!**
> 
> **This is a poly-fic, Hermione is paired with multiple wizards, if this bothers you, please turn back now.**
> 
> **The amazing Canimal is the author who breathed life into the Thorfinn Rowle I am using as a character. She's a boss and you should all go read her fics now!**
> 
> **My lovely beta's are brownlark42 and SlytherclawFaerie. They are awesome and really made this fic what it is. Any further mistakes are all mine.**
> 
> **This originated from the Plunny Factory thread on the DEE group on Facebook by Valli1312. So all props to the idea go to her and I'm just happy she let me play with it.**
> 
> **I'm so glad you all are loving this fic so much. It was really fun to write and I love seeing all of your thoughts and guesses. It totally tickles me pink!**
> 
> **Enjoy!**

Hermione had not slept. She had tossed and turned most of the night before finally sitting up on the provided cot and staring out the cell door. When the lights flipped on Hermione took this to mean it was morning. She hadn't been fed. She had been given no medical care. She had torn a bit of the blanket and wrapped it around her head wound to stop the bleeding. The bleeding seemed to have slowed overnight, but when she patted the back of her head her fingers came away red; the wound hadn't scabbed over yet. She tore a new strip of cloth from the blanket and tied it around her head with a knot at her forehead.

She didn't know how long she sat there before her cell door opened; the same Unspeakable from the day before was standing in front of her. At least she thought it was the same Unspeakable - he was very tall and had brown hair. Again, his face was unremarkable and Hermione couldn't recall any details.

"Come with me Miss Granger," the Unspeakable bade her before he turned out of the cell and walked down the hall. Hermione stood up and followed him. She was still dressed in the casual robes she had worn yesterday, although now they were wrinkled and mussed. The cell she had occupied seemed to be the last one at the end of a very long hallway of cells. She felt dizzy and nauseous from the lack of food and struggled to keep up with the Unspeakable's quick pace.

He paused at the end of the hallway and turned toward her, "You must keep up!"

Hermione didn't even acknowledge him, as he wasn't worth it. She would do her best, but she wasn't going to waste her energy on him. She was about to head off to Azkaban; why did she care whether she could keep up with this long-legged freak anyway? The Unspeakable turned back around, strode out of the hallway, and into the central hub of the DoM. He headed for the lifts as Hermione trudged behind him.

Once in the lift, they descended to the tenth level, where the Wizengamot convened, and all the other courtrooms were located. Hermione had never been to this level of the Ministry, but even her disinterested mood wasn't swayed by the prospect of somewhere new to explore. She was surprised that she was going to trial after all. With Wood's involvement she assumed she would have been hauled straight to Azkaban regardless of what her Unspeakable escort had said. His fast pace soon had him nearly nine meters ahead of her, but Hermione couldn't be bothered to try to catch up to him. She continued on wearily, her step faltering when an especially powerful wave of dizziness came over her.

The Unspeakable hadn't noticed they had picked up an escort, but when he turned around Hermione registered shock on his face. _He can't be surprised that I can't keep up,_ she thought to herself. _I'm injured and haven't eaten in over a day_. Her thoughts and stride were stopped by a hand on her shoulder.

"Princess?" a deep voice rumbled behind her. She turned and came face to face with Thorfinn Rowle. She had never been so relieved in her life.

"Finn? What are you doing here?" Hermione asked. She was trembling with the effort to keep upright by this time so Thorfinn grabbed her shoulders and pulled her close to him. She leaned into his embrace, soaking up his warmth and the strength that seemed to flow into her limbs at his proximity.

"Merlin, girl, it's good to hold you," Thorfinn murmured in her ear. Hermione wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled him closer, pressing her face into his chest. He smelled divine, robustly clean with a hint of citrus. She didn't say anything, just nodded. She kept her eyes closed and breathed in the moment of being reunited with one of her bond-mates. When a third hand touched her back, Hermione looked up from where she had her face tucked into Thorfinn's chest - Rodolphus Lestrange was looking back at her, his eyes full of concern.

"Dolph," she said quietly and reached a hand out for him. Thorfinn let her go and she was swept up into Rodolphus' embrace. There was a commotion behind her, but Hermione ignored it. Feelings of calm and rightness were flowing through her; Rodolphus was comforting and comfortable. He had his own smell, like wood smoke and sandalwood, and she breathed it in deeply. Rodolphus held her close and buried his face into her hair.

After several moments, Harry's voice broke through the ensconcing calm. She snuggled closer to Rodolphus, but strained to hear what her best friend was saying. He was livid, she could hear that well enough. He was berating someone. Who? Wood? The Unspeakable? Yes, that was it, he was screaming at the two of them for their high-handed ways. Hermione smiled to herself, only Harry could work himself up into such a snit. He was defending her, which felt right. He was defending her bond-mates as well, which felt right too. But wait, that wasn't quite right, was it?

The logical side of her mind that she had unconsciously shut down yesterday finally kicked into gear. It was strange that Harry was defending her bond-mates. He wouldn't do that, something must have happened. In order to find out what happened, Hermione was going to have to leave the bubble that Rodolphus' arms had provided, but she was reluctant to do so.

"Love, I think we need you here," Rodolphus whispered in her ear. His breath ghosted along the shell of her ear and caused Hermione to shiver as desire coursed through her. _Inappropriate, not right now,_ she scolded herself as she slowly pulled away from Rodolphus and turned toward the commotion.

Harry was standing outside of an open courtroom door. The doorway was crowded with members of the Wizengamot. Each of them trying to get a better view of what was going on in the hallway. Harry had his wand out. Both Wood and the Unspeakable were chained to the wall in front of Harry as he railed at them. Hermione glanced around and saw that each of her bond-mates were there, standing near her. They were all focused on the drama down the hall. She reached a hand out to both Antonin and Rabastan, they each took hold and looked at her with a smile. All she needed was that one touch and she felt the fog lift. Her limbs felt energized; it didn't matter she hadn't eaten in a day. Or that she was injured. She felt ready to face whatever was about to happen.

"Harry!" she called out to her best friend, striding toward him; her bond-mates followed, acting as her rear guard.

"Hermione!" Harry shouted as he turned toward her and swept her up in a hug. "What happened to you?" He was looking at the makeshift bandage on her head and began pulling at it. Once he got it off and saw the blood on it, his face turned tomato red. He turned back to the two DoM employees still shackled to the wall and began shouting at them again.

"Kitten, what happened to you?" Rabastan growled. Hermione instinctively shrank back from him, back into Rodolphus' arms.

On her other side, Antonin began lifting and pulling at her hair, gently looking for the wound. Finding it, he began casting diagnostics to evaluate the damage and a charm to stop the bleeding.

"Love, he won't hurt you," Rodolphus assured her as he leaned out of the way of Antonin's work. He kept his arms around Hermione though. "Just tell us what happened."

Hermione took a deep breath and told how the Unspeakable had hauled her out of Kingsley's office and silenced her before she could say anything. How he had petrified her when she tried fighting him, and that she had fallen and concussed herself again.

"Again?" Thorfinn seethed.

"The first time was when Nott abducted me. I'm not sure how, but when I woke up in the cell in Nott Hall, my head was pounding and I had a scab in the same spot," Hermione gestured to the back of her head where Antonin was still working.

" _Mishka_ is right. She's had two concussions this week. I can do a little bit, but she needs to see a healer today to prevent permanent damage," Antonin replied in a distracted voice. He was engrossed in whatever the diagnostic charms were showing him and the healing spells he was casting.

"I'm going to murder that bloody fool," Rabastan raged. He paced away from the group to collect himself. Thorfinn followed him, and the two held a quiet discussion.

"What's going on?" Hermione asked Rodolphus, gesturing toward Harry and the Wizengamot members still crowded in the doorway.

"A bloody circus," Rodolphus muttered. Hermione turned in his arms so she could see his face. Antonin moved with her and now stood at her back. She felt safe pressed between two of her bond-mates. Rodolphus had his hands on the small of her back and pulled her flush to him. Hermione, in turn, wrapped her arms around his back.

"It's your trial for bringing back the dead," Rodolphus told her.

"I didn't bring back the dead. Nott and Malfoy did," Hermione reminded him as she propped her chin on his chest and looked up at him. He wasn't as tall as his brother, but each of her wizards towered over her, making her short stature all the more evident.

"Ah, but your magic is what brought us back, according to the DoM, anyway. So it's your trial," Rodolphus rubbed his hands up and down her back in a soothing motion.

"Dolph, you aren't giving me the full picture. I want to know everything. Are Nott and Malfoy going to be prosecuted for their crimes? Are you four free wizards? Or will you be carted off to Azkaban? Is there any hope of me winning this thing? Should we plan to spend the rest of our lives on the run? Or in Azkaban?"

Rodolphus chuckled, "Nott Jr. warned me you asked a lot of questions; I'll answer what I can. The four of us have secured our freedom. The Wizengamot decided being dead for five years is a long enough punishment. Our properties and Gringotts accounts have been restored. Once everything was secure, we told the Wizengamot the full truth of Nott and Malfoy's involvement. They can't be charged for anything until after this trial of yours. Only one party can be held responsible for a crime at a time. The Wizengamot know you would not bring back Death Eater's, but being bound to the four of us does not put you in a great light. Pucey thinks you can win."

"And where is Pucey?" Hermione asked looking around. She spotted him waving at her from the courtroom. He was stuck behind a few members of the Wizengamot. It really did look like a circus, these were grown men and women for Morgana's sake. Didn't they have anything better to be doing?

Behind Rodolphus the lifts dinged and suddenly there were flashbulbs going off - the press had arrived. Hermione buried her face into Rodolphus' chest with a groan. Just what she needed, more bad press. Rodolphus pulled her closer and Antonin pushed at her from behind. She was sandwiched between the two wizards, both pressing her tightly between them as they conversed over her head. It seemed they were trying to protect her from the press. Harry had finally noticed them and left off berating the DoM employees and instead went after the press. Kingsley Shacklebolt finally made it through the doorway of the courtroom and into the hallway, directing Wizengamot members back to their seats, and ushering Hermione and her bond-mates into the courtroom. He left the DoM employees shackled to the wall while he helped Harry corral the press back to the lifts and the Floo Atrium.

"I will personally bludgeon the person who let leak to the press that this trial was happening today," Adrian Pucey threatened as he finally made it through the door of the courtroom to the wizards clustered around Hermione. With the press back to the lifts, Antonin stepped back from Hermione giving her room to move. Rodolphus let her go but kept a hand on her waist.

"Granger," Pucey greeted her with a nod. Hermione nodded back.

"Thanks for taking my case, Pucey," Hermione said. She wasn't sure who was going to be paying his fees; she knew he was one of the most elite solicitors in the Wizarding World.

"Thank your bond-mates. They're the ones paying my fees," Pucey smirked at her as if he just read her mind. Hermione just nodded, she was too nervous to do much more than that. Pucey guided them into the courtroom. There was one chair in the center of the room. The rest of the room was raised over two meters and went up to six meters above the bottom of the courtroom in tiered benches. The Wizengamot filtered back to their seats as Hermione was guided into the lone chair in the center of the room. Pucey was in low discussion with Rabastan that Hermione couldn't hear. Rodolphus put a hand on her shoulder and Hermione felt the comfort flow through her. It eased her nerves when one of her bond-mates was touching her.

Kingsley called the session to order as Harry shut the door behind him, followed the Unspeakable and Wood into the chamber. Wood and his Unspeakable headed to the back of the courtroom and mounted the stairs to take their place in the gallery. Harry joined Hermione at the center of the room.

Hermione looked around the chamber, her bond-mates ringed her chair, each of them had a hand either on her or her chair. Pucey stood to their right and Harry to their left. It looked like the entire Wizengamot was in session, which was unusual as far as Hermione knew. She was glad that the press was not invited to this farce. She wasn't at fault, even if it was her magic that technically brought the men back from beyond the veil.

There were a lot of technical arguments about the law that Hermione didn't really understand. She had never studied much magical law, it wasn't an area of interest for her. Pucey and members of the Wizengamot argued about what constituted legal responsibility for a magic act for a good half hour. They seemed to come to a conclusion and Kingsley began questioning her.

Hermione gave her version of events - what she could remember of them. She was still fuzzy on being kidnapped and her part in the ceremony involved with bringing the dead men back to life. That right there should have been enough to drop the case in her opinion.

"Well, what about this bonding girl? Is it true you are soul-bonded to the four of them? How did that happen?" an elderly witch asked her. Hermione didn't recognize her.

"It seems to be true that I'm bonded to the four of them. I haven't had much of a chance to figure out what the bond is and how it works. They seem to know better than I," she gestured to the wizards surrounding her. "As for how it happened, from what I've gleaned - Theo Nott messed something up in his ritual. He was supposed to have traded my soul for theirs, thus killing me, and instead seems to have soul-bonded me to them. I'm not sure how soon the soul-bond took effect. I was locked in a dungeon for several days at Nott Hall, unaware of the bond or anything that happened. I suffered a concussion after being kidnapped. It wasn't until Theo Crucioed me that I became aware of anything, the four of them felt the torture through the bond and came to stop Theo."

There was a large uproar when she was finished speaking. The Wizengamot hadn't been made aware that she had been tortured or kidnapped, from what she could gather from the shouting members.

"ENOUGH!" Kingsley boomed out, slamming his gavel down onto the bench in front of him several times. The chamber finally quieted a few minutes later.

"Minister - if I may?" Percy Weasley asked. He was dressed in his Wizengamot robes - Hermione had forgotten he had assumed the Weasley Wizengamot seat.

"Mr. Weasley, go ahead," Kingsley nodded giving Percy the floor.

"I think we can clearly see from Miss Granger's testimony that she was an innocent bystander in all of this. These four men," he indicated the wizards who surrounded Hermione, "have already been cleared of any charges. Clearly, we need to bring in Theo Nott and Draco Malfoy for their involvement in this."

"I second that!" shouted the woman who had asked Hermione about the soul-bond.

"All in favor?" Kingsley asked. Slowly about three-quarters of the Wizengamot raised their hands. Hermione slumped in relief. She wasn't going to be charged. She wasn't going to be hauled off to Azkaban. The hearing wrapped up quickly and Hermione was shuffled out the door by her wizards.

* * *

Thorfinn held on to her as he Apparated them to a grassy hillside. When he stepped back from her she saw they were standing on the edge of a moor. There was a squat round tower about 20 meters from them. Hermione assumed this is where they were headed.

"Where are we?" she asked Thorfinn as he grabbed her hand and began leading her to the building. The rest of her bond-mates popped into existence and began walking with them.

"Rowle Rock, north side of Cornwall," Thorfinn replied. They had reached the front of Rowle Rock and Thorfinn pulled out his wand. With a wave, Hermione felt the magic of the wards slip over her. They felt warm and welcoming, not usually what ancestral wards felt like.

"What was that?" Hermione asked.

"I added you to the family wards," Thorfinn replied. He still had a hold on her hand and tugged her through the front door. The rest of her bond-mates followed. Soon they were all comfortable in a sitting room and Thorfinn called a house elf for tea and lunch. Hermione suddenly realized she was ravenous and let the conversation of her bond-mates flow over her as she ate her fill. It felt comfortable and normal. So little in her life had been normal over the last few days. And sitting in a room of four Death Eaters should not feel as normal as it did right now. That had to be the bond at work.

"Before we get into discussions of what happens next, I'd like to ask my house elf Nan to look you over if that's ok?" Thorfinn asked her.

"You have a house elf you rely on for healing?" Antonin asked, his eyebrows were raised high in surprise.

"You weren't raised with them, Antonin. House elves have magic that wizards don't. And they are exceptionally good with healing. I assume she's your nanny elf?" Rabastan asked. Of the four wizards, Antonin was the one who was a foreigner to England. There was no ancestral home to call his own, he had emigrated to England with his parents as a boy.

Thorfinn nodded in reply to Rabastan and called for Nan. A very old house elf popped into the room, she was wrinkled and had sparse gray hair sprouting from her head. She had a very small cane she leaned on. Hermione thought she looked like a house-elf version of Yoda. Thorfinn directed Nan over to Hermione.

"Mistress," Nan greeted her firmly as she had Hermione sit on the floor so she could see the back of her head. Hermione did as the elf directed. She had slowly been developing a headache over the course of lunch. She heard the elf whisper a few words and suddenly a calm blue light surrounded Hermione, she closed her eyes against the brightness. The same calm invaded her brain, Hermione felt like she was floating along. In the very back of her head she could hear the conversation going on around her. But Hermione wasn't aware of it beyond that. It felt like she had slipped into a meditative trance.

Several moments later, Hermione came to. She was still sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of her bond-mates. They were looking at her expectantly. Nan was leaning on her cane more heavily and a younger elf was on the other side of her, clearly helping to hold her up.

"How does Mistress feel?" Nan asked, her voice sounded very tired.

"Amazing, I feel like I've slept for a week, and," Hermione reached behind her and prodded the back of her head with her fingertips. No scab, no blood, her wound had been healed. "My head, it's fixed. You fixed it! Thank you!" Hermione lunged forward and wrapped Nan in a very gentle hug.

Nan nodded against her and whispered in her ear, "Thank you for bringing Master Finn back. Take care of him." Then she and the other elf disapparated out of the room, right out of Hermione's embrace. Hermione sat back on her heels in surprise.

"Come, love, let's get you off of the floor," Rodolphus said as he walked toward her and held out a hand for her to take. Hermione grasped it and let him haul her to standing. Rodolphus kept hold of her hand, he brushed his other hand across her cheek, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear.

"I'm so glad you are safe," he said in a low voice.

Hermione's heart rate picked up. She felt the familiar comfort wash over her, but the look in Rodolphus' eyes made her blood run hot. She flicked her tongue out and licked her dry lips, before nibbling on her bottom lip. Rodolphus' hazel eyes went wide and then darkened. He tilted his head towards her and pressed his lips to hers.

At the first touch of his lips Hermione felt electric run through her nerves. It felt amazingly right to be kissing this man. She reached her tongue out and traced along his bottom lip. He groaned and they deepened the kiss. Their tongues wound around each other. Hermione draped her arms over Rodolphus' shoulders and toyed with the hair at the back of his neck. She arched her back and pressed her breasts into his chest and he gathered her close. He had one hand on the nape of her neck, tilting her head just the right way. The other was on the small of her back and pressed her hips close to his.

"Not that this little display isn't arousing," Antonin drawled as he adjusted himself.

Hermione and Rodolphus reluctantly backed away from each other. When Hermione remembered who else was in the room, she felt her face flush. She looked at the floor to avoid the four pairs of eyes on her. _I can't believe I just did that,_ she thought. Hermione was never one for public displays of affection. Despite being twenty-five, she hadn't had a lot of relationships or experience. She was still rather easily embarrassed. _Morgana, they are going to think I'm such a slag._ Hermione crossed her arms and hunched her shoulders. She rubbed her forehead with her right hand as the thoughts of what her bond-mates would think of her ran through her mind.

"Merlin girl, I can feel your negative thoughts from here," Thorfinn muttered under his breath as he stood and pulled Hermione away from Rodolphus. He sat back down and tugged Hermione into his lap.

"We need to talk, let's not get carried away. All right?" Thorfinn asked her quietly as he ran his hands up and down her arms. The action soothed her and Hermione was able to push her thoughts away and focus on the issues at hand.

"What's going to happen now? I was in a bit of a fog after the hearing. Do I need to go testify against Theo and Malfoy?" Hermione asked.

Rabastan poured her a cup of tea, fixed the way she liked it. Hermione was pleased that he remembered and cared enough to do so.

"Most likely the Wizengamot will want you to testify against them. Only they know the specifics of the ritual they did and how it worked. Regardless of whether they cooperate with the court, they'll be spending some time in Azkaban for the kidnap and torture alone," Antonin replied. His voice got very hard when he spoke about her kidnapping and torture. That was something Hermione was going to have to explore with her bond-mates. When she first met them as her bond-mates, their attitude was markedly different than their attitude toward her now.

"You'll also have to testify against Wood and his pet Unspeakable," Rabastan offered. "They are both being charged with unlawful imprisonment."

"Good," Hermione replied fiercely. She had always had issues with Wood and she was glad he would be punished for the way he treated her.

"What's the deal between you and Wood anyway?" Thorfinn asked. She was still perched on his lap. He had pulled her feet around to dangle off the side of the chair and she was cuddled into his shoulder. _He is the perfect cuddler_ , Hermione thought.

"He's been after me to work for him in the DoM since before I graduated Hogwarts," Hermione told them.

"Why wouldn't you want to work for him? It's not often that a position comes available in the DoM; it's almost unheard of to recruit someone directly from Hogwarts. They almost always fill positions from internal Ministry employees," Rodolphus commented.

Hermione sighed deeply, "I didn't want to work for the Ministry right after Hogwarts. And he lays some blame at my feet for the debacle in the DoM during my fifth year..." Hermione trailed off as she realized what she was talking about. Each of these wizards had been present during that battle. And one of them had tried to kill her. She glanced at Antonin through her eyelashes. His face was hard and cold. Hermione cringed deeper into Thorfinn's embrace. _Circe, Antonin is going to remember that he wants to kill me,_ Hermione thought frantically, irrationally to herself.

"Princess, calm down. It's all right," Thorfinn murmured in her ear, holding her close.

"Maybe you and Antonin should clear the air?" Rabastan suggested brightly.

"Not without my wand," Hermione whispered. Her eyes were big and round, she was terrified and caught in a mental loop she couldn't shake herself from. She couldn't be left alone with Antonin, he would finish the job he started ten years ago.

"Woah, calm down, Princess," Thorfinn muttered. Hermione had started to tremble at the thought of being left alone with Antonin. "He's really not going to hurt you. In fact, we'll take his wand from him. I don't have yours, but here," Thorfinn shoved his wand into Hermione's hand. He stood up and set Hermione on her feet. Rabastan and Rodolphus were already at the door.

"We'll just be down the hall in my study. Call out if you need anything," Thorfinn told her as he planted a kiss on the top of her head. He had a quick whispered conversation with Antonin and before he walked out of the room he showed Hermione that he had taken Antonin's wand.

Hermione faced Antonin with Thorfinn's wand clenched tightly in her hand. Her palms were a little sweaty and she felt her pulse start to race. She began to run through battle strategies and dueling spells.

" _Mishka_ ," Antonin said. He held his hands with the palms out down at his sides. Hermione focused on him. She still had Thorfinn's wand in her hand but kept it pointed toward the floor. Her body was stiff and ready for whatever assault Antonin had planned for her. Antonin's shoulders dropped when he saw her shift into a dueling stance.

" _Mishka_ ," he pleaded. "I'm not going to hurt you. How could I?"

Hermione didn't say anything, but she shook her head. She didn't know the answer to his question.

"Do you know what it felt like to me when Nott Jr. was torturing you?" he asked her. He took a small step closer to her and Hermione backed up a step in response. He stopped moving.

Hermione shook her head. She still didn't say a word.

"I felt it. I felt the Cruciatus in my nerves. I have been tortured enough during the last years of the Dark Lord's reign to know how it feels. It wasn't like being hit with the curse, it was more like the aftershocks. Have you had those?" he asked. He took another step because her stance had softened. This time she didn't back up.

Hermione nodded. Theo's curse had been too short to have many aftershocks. But after being tortured by Bellatrix Lestrange during the war she had suffered aftershocks for weeks.

"It was like that, the aftershocks of the Cruciatus. Mixed with this heavy feeling in my gut that something was not right. We didn't run through Nott Hall looking for you. We apparated to you, through the Nott ancestral wards," Antonin told her.

"I couldn't hurt you right now any more than I could bring back someone from the dead," Antonin murmured. He had been slowly, so slowly walking closer and closer to her until he was standing right in front of her.

Hermione snorted, "That's your best example?"

"Poor choice," Antonin replied with a small smirk. He reached out and cupped her cheek. Hermione stiffened a moment before she felt that wave of comfort and rightness flow through her. She relaxed and nuzzled into his hand.

"I will never hurt you again, _mishka_ ," Antonin said. He brushed his thumb over Hermione's lips and she closed her eyes at the sensations he was causing her.

"Unless you want me to," he told her and gave her a deeper smirk. Hermione let out a chuff of amusement. Antonin pulled her close and dipped down to capture her lips with his. Hermione had to respond. Her soul was demanding she respond to her bond-mate's insistent lips. She dropped Thorfinn's wand and gripped the front of Antonin's robes. She pulled him closer to her. This kiss was so different than the one she had just shared with Rodolphus. That one had been slow and sweet and romantic. This one was fevered and heated and desperate.

Antonin tore his lips from hers and began kissing down her neck. He sucked her earlobe into his mouth and Hermione gasped at the sensation. She felt her nipples tighten in response and desire swam through her veins.

"In fact, I think you need to be punished," Antonin whispered in her ear. His breath was hot and wet and Hermione moaned as she clung to him.

"What? Why?" she panted. She really had no idea.

"You ran from us," Antonin replied as he swirled his tongue around the shell of her ear. Hermione groaned, the sensations he was causing her had her wet already. She could feel her knickers dampen with each lick he gave her ear and neck.

"I had been kidnapped," Hermione pleaded with him. Antonin began unfastening her robes. They were soon pooled at her feet. She tried pulling at his as well.

"Not yet," Antonin told her. He backed her up into the nearest wall and brought her hands above her head. He whispered a spell and then skimmed his hands down her arms. Hermione tugged on her hands and found she couldn't move him. A few minutes ago this would have terrified her. Right now, she felt her nipples harden further and her knickers grew slick.

Antonin whispered another spell and her bra fell apart at the seams. It fluttered down and the pieces landed at her feet. He seemed to be enthralled with her exposed breasts. She had always been on the larger side, but with her hands bound above her head, they had a lovely lift. Antonin grasped them both and weighed them in his hands as he swiped his thumb over her nipples. Hermione whimpered at the sensation.

"Please," she murmured.

"You need your punishment first," Antonin replied.

"What will you do?" Hermione asked. She had never been dominated before. Her previous experiences were always fairly vanilla. Hermione had never even used a toy with a partner. She was a little nervous, but Antonin's touch was soothing.

"How about five arse slaps?" Antonin replied. She liked that he seemed to be offering her a choice. Though the thought of being spanked still made her nervous. But she also felt a thrill of excitement run through her at the thought of being bent over Antonin's knee. She nodded but couldn't quite meet his eye.

Antonin pushed her chin up so that she was looking at him. "I've got you, _mishka_ ," he told her and placed a sweet soft kiss on her lips. When he pulled away, Hermione nodded again. Antonin ended the spell holding her hands to the wall above her head and led her over to the sofa that faced the fireplace. He sat down in the middle of it and helped her arrange herself over his lap. Her arse was raised high in the air as she laid herself over him. Her nipples were pressed into the rough sofa fabric which was creating a delicious kind of pressure.

"I want you to count them," he told her as he slipped her knickers down over her hips and pulled them from her. She nodded in response. She took a breath to brace herself and before she finished Antonin's hand came down hard on her left cheek. Hermione yelped at the suddenness. It didn't hurt, it had just surprised her.

"One," she said as he began to soothe over the spot he had hit her.

"Good," he replied. He swiftly hit her twice more. First on the right cheek and then on the left, but lower than the first one, closer to her thigh.

"Two, three," she panted out. The force of his slaps was pushing her nipples further into the couch. Hermione couldn't believe it, but she was getting wetter. Antonin soothed over her bum again. He was murmuring to her about what a good job she was doing. Hermione felt herself preening at his compliments.

He slapped her twice more, once again on the right cheek, and then right in the middle.

"Four, five," she cried out. Again they hadn't hurt, but the pressure on her clit and nipples from his slaps had aroused her to the point of almost coming.

"That's a good girl, _mishka_ ," Antonin said as he rubbed her bum all over. He didn't touch her slit, but Hermione desperately wanted him to. She wriggled her arse in an attempt to get him to move his fingers between her legs.

"Antonin," she pleaded.

"Tell me what you need, _mishka_ ," he replied as he continued massaging her bum.

"Touch me, finger me," she replied. To her great relief, he slipped a hand between her thighs.

"You are so wet," he said. His voice sounded awed and incredulous. Hermione tried to look over her shoulder so she could see his face, but the angle was wrong. She turned back to bury her face into the sofa cushion.

"Did that turn you on?" he asked her as he dipped a finger into her slit and nudged her clit.

"Yes," she hissed as she finally got the pressure she needed. "Please, Antonin!"

"Gods, _mishka_ ," he slipped a finger into her tight channel and Hermione cried out at how glorious it felt to be filled even so shallowly.

"More! Antonin, I need more," Hermione whined as she rubbed her nipples along the rough fabric of the sofa. Her hands were gripping the armrest above her head as Antonin continued to tease her with his fingers. The desire that was licking at her nerve endings had her moaning and panting. Antonin shoved another finger and was pumping with a rhythm now. Each time his fingers plunged into her, he thumbed her clit which made Hermione buck with pleasure.

"Come," he commanded her and gave her clit a few rough swipes with his fingers shoved deep inside her he curled them. The fire that had been building up in her veins burst. Wave after wave of pleasure overcame her body as she frigged herself on Antonin's fingers drawing out her bliss. Hermione screamed out her orgasm, shouting out Antonin's name over and over again.

"Merlin, that was hot," Antonin muttered as she came back down to earth. He helped her sit up, astride his lap her legs on either side of his. Antonin was still fully clothed and as Hermione began working on his robes as he licked his fingers clean. Hermione had been in a blissful state, but watching Antonin lick her essence off of his fingers had desire sweeping through her again. She bent her head and gave him a lustful kiss. Their tongues fought for dominance and she gripped the back of his head tightly. Hermione began to frantically pull at his robes and pulled back from his lips in order to get him undressed.

"Get naked, Dolohov," Hermione commanded as she continued to unbutton his robes. Antonin chuckled at her and whispered a spell and suddenly he was naked beneath her. His cock was standing tall. He was about average in length but had a wide girth. Hermione felt herself drip at the thought of that cock stuffed deep inside her cunt. She lifted her hips and impaled herself on him before either of them had a chance to do anything else. A brilliant golden light filled the room in a flash and Hermione felt a burn on her left wrist. She went to look at it but was distracted by Antonin when he pushed up into her.

"Oh, good gods," Antonin whispered. "You're so tight and wet, _mishka_ ," he told her as he pumped his hips up.

"Fuck," Hermione muttered as he hit the right spot. She ground down on top of him and gripped his shoulders with her hands. His own hands were on her waist helping her to set a rhythm that worked for them both. Antonin had Hermione bouncing quickly, he was watching as her breasts jiggled in front of him. He couldn't stop himself, he bent his head and buried his face into her chest. He cupped her breasts and laved them with kisses and teased her nipples first with his fingers, and then with his mouth. Hermione held onto his shoulders and tipped her head back as she felt another orgasm build. The tension in her belly began to coil tighter and tighter as she bounced faster and faster on Antonin's lap.

"So close, Antonin," Hermione was babbling to her bond-mate as she climbed higher and higher. Antonin dropped her breasts and gripped her waist. He snapped his hips up and slammed her down on top of him causing the dam to burst within Hermione. She came again, still babbling to Antonin. He pumped a few more times, and the rhythm grew erratic as he chased his own orgasm.

"Come on, Antonin," she pleaded. She was desperate to feel him come inside her. He finally got there with a low moan, he gripped her hips tightly as he emptied himself into her. Hermione felt another small orgasm sweep through her at the feeling of him coming inside of her.

" _Mishka_ , Hermione," he murmured quietly as he pulled her to him. He wrapped his arms around her and she laid her head down on his shoulder. She breathed deep inhaling is clean scent of soap and leather.

"Am I forgiven?" he asked her. Hermione hadn't expected that and pulled back to look at his face. His face was pleading and serious.

"Of course you are," she told him emphatically. "It was ten years ago. I'm sorry I got scared."

She pulled her left wrist down from his shoulders and held it in front of them. In addition to the light blue strand that circled around her wrist, a golden strand wound around. The pattern looked like it would be intricate when it was done.

"This binds us," she told him. Antonin lifted his own wrist and they found a very intricate red and gold design winding around it.

"It looks like Bast's," Antonin murmured.

"I haven't seen his," Hermione admitted. "Am I forgiven?" she asked him. She wasn't really sorry for running away from them. But she knew that she wouldn't be able to run away from them again. Not that she wanted to.

"Yes, _mishka_. I forgive you for running from us," he kissed her on the nose. "Don't do it again, though," he warned. Hermione nodded happily and settled back against his chest. He waved his hand and a blanket hanging from a rack by the fireplace flew over to cover them.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**
> 
> **A/N: I figured I would just continue with my Wednesday upload theme for the rest of this fic. Only 2 more chapters after this one!**
> 
> **This is a poly-fic, Hermione is paired with multiple wizards, if this bothers you, please turn back now.**
> 
> **The amazing Canimal is the author who breathed life into the Thorfinn Rowle I am using as a character. She's a boss and you should all go read her fics now!**
> 
> **My lovely beta's are brownlark42 and SlytherclawFaerie. They are awesome and really made this fic what it is. Any further mistakes are all mine.**
> 
> **A further thank you to Viveen who corrected me in Chapter 2, originally I had called Hermione Lady Rabastan, not Lady Lestrange. I fixed it after I saw her review and totally forgot to thank her back in Chapter's 3 and 4. So thank you to Viveen for keeping me straight! 3**
> 
> **This originated from the Plunny Factory thread on the DEE group on Facebook by Valli1312. So all props to the idea go to her and I'm just happy she let me play with it.**
> 
> **Enjoy!**

Hermione was sleepy and warm. She could hear voices around her, but she wasn't ready to wake from her nap yet. She snuggled closer to the warm body she was cuddled into.

" _Mishka_ , time to wake up," a deep voice rumbled in her hair. Hermione shook her head no and snuggled deeper into the man's chest. He smelled divine, like leather and soap, and she didn't want to face the day yet. The man laughed low and deep at her antics.

"The rest of your bond-mates are here," Antonin told her. Hermione finally opened her eyes to find herself pillowed on Antonin's bare chest. She propped her chin on his chest and looked up at him. His dark eyes were dancing with laughter at her and she grinned up at him.

"Feel better after your nap?" He asked her as he ran a hand down her back, taking the blanket with the same movement. She nodded and turned to face the room. Her bond-mates were there watching with slight smiles. Antonin's hand reached down and grasped her arse; she yelped and sat up. She was sitting astride him completely naked.

"Antonin!" She admonished, slapping him lightly on the chest.

"Princess, you're killing us over here," Thorfinn growled as he adjusted himself. Hermione blushed deeply before grabbing the blanket to cover herself.

"Had to ruin the show, didn't you, Finn?" Rabastan grumbled. He too seemed affected by what he had seen.

"Not that this isn't fun or anything," Rodolphus began, "but we do have things to discuss."

Antonin smirked at Rodolphus, and grabbed his wand from Thorfinn's outstretched hand. A quick spell later and both he and Hermione were dressed again. Thorfinn called for tea; they each poured for themselves once it arrived.

"I'm worried about the bond," Rodolphus admitted before sipping his tea.

Hermione tilted her head, "In what way?" She blushed and went on, "I have bonded Bast and Antonin. I still need to bond with you, Dolph, and with Finn." She looked down, not meeting anyone's eyes.

"Not that this blushing virgin act isn't adorable, kitten. But we all know you aren't, so can you not?" Rabastan snarked.

Hermione rolled her eyes at him, "I do apologize, Bast; I will attempt to keep my blushes to a minimum."

"Shut it, Bast. I like her blushes," Thorfinn leered at her. She huffed a laugh and shook her head.

"Can we get back to Dolph's question?" Hermione asked. "Why are you worried about the bond?"

"Well, according to Nott and Malfoy the ritual they performed was supposed to kill you, right? But it bonded our souls instead. Does this mean you are bonded to the Dark Lord too?" Rodolphus asked.

Hermione blinked up at him. She didn't have an answer. She had no idea and hadn't had time to try to figure out the details of the bond since it happened.

"So they were successful in bringing back the Dark Lord?" Hermione asked. "Nobody has told me the full version of events that happened that night."

"Yeah, somehow they pulled it off," Rabastan answered. He went on to describe the events of the night he and the others were brought back to life.

"He just dissolved and disappeared?" Hermione asked the horror clear in her voice. She couldn't imagine what that must have been like.

"So what was it like beyond the veil? Were you busy organizing some coup with Voldemort? Is that how you were brought forth? Malfoy said something about being near Voldemort and the incantation brought you forth?" Hermione peppered the group with questions.

"I don't know about the rest of them," Thorfinn began, "but I don't remember much of my time beyond the veil. I was fighting in the final battle, then nothing. Then suddenly I'm stepping from the veil and I see the brothers Lestrange. Dolohov followed, then the Dark Lord came through. I have no idea why I would have been called forth."

The rest of her bond-mates agreed; they had no recollection of being beyond the veil.

She ruminated for a moment. It was fascinating. Theo thought he was performing creating one type of ceremony, but it had turned into another entirely.

"Could it be that your memories were erased when you were pulled through the veil? You remember being alive, but any memories formed while dead stayed dead?"

"It's possible, kitten," Rabastan replied. "I studied a bit of Death Magic while in the Dark Lord's employ. There is a lot that's unknown about it. And from what we were able to glean from the wonder duo, Nott Jr. cobbled together various magics from different cultures all over the world. Who knows what he found and included in that potion of his."

Hermione nodded. She wished she could get her hands on Theo's notes; they would be invaluable in figuring out the bond. She expressed such an interest to her bond-mates.

"Not sure the Wizengamot would let you have them," Rodolphus replied. "I'm sure they've been entered into evidence. Which means they are locked in some drawer in the Aurory never to be seen again."

"In fact, if I had to bet Galleons on it, the Wizengamot won't want anyone seeing those notes," Thorfinn said.

"That's true," Rabastan confirmed. "There's a reason you were locked up for doing Death Magic, kitten."

"I didn't do any Death Magic," Hermione insisted with a huff of her shoulders. It wasn't her fault that she had been gullible enough to believe Theo when he said he loved her. It wasn't her fault that he was a conniving, manipulating bastard and had kidnapped her. He had been attempting to kill her!

Hermione felt her good mood deflate. Why was she so helpless? If she was gullible enough to fall for Theo, how was she going to navigate waters among her bond-mates? Would she ever be able to tell if they were lying to her? She went back to her earlier questions. There was no way four pure-blood wizards could be happy that they were unexpectedly bonded to a muggle-born. She dropped her head into her hands and groaned quietly to herself. She just wanted to be normal. Nothing in her life had ever been normal.

" _Mishka_ ," Antonin said as he draped an arm around her shoulders and brought her close. "What are you thinking? What has you so worried?"

Hermione shook her head. No way she could express her fears to the four of them. They would laugh at her. She would deserve to be laughed at. This was an impossible situation.

"Can we finish this conversation later? I'm in desperate need of a shower," Hermione responded pulling away from Antonin entirely. She stood and her bond-mates stood with her. She didn't see the worried look Antonin exchanged with the Lestrange brothers because Thorfinn stepped forward to take her to her room.

Thorfinn showed her to a room at the top of the tower. It was just as sumptuous as the room had been at Nott Hall, complete with an ensuite bathroom. The whole suite was done in light blues and whites, exuding a calm and tranquil atmosphere.

"I don't know what spooked you, Princess," Thorfinn said as he was leaving, "but please know you can talk to me if you need to." He squeezed her shoulder reassuringly and walked out of the room leaving Hermione by herself.

Hermione took a big breath in and let it out slowly. She was finally alone and relatively safe for the first time in close to a week. It should have felt better than it did. Logically, she didn't want to be with these men. What she wanted was Harry, her best friend. And part of her wanted Theo even knowing that he wasn't what she thought he was. She had relied on him in the past months for her emotional comfort, and to have him so abruptly taken away was something she was still fully processing.

Hermione turned around the room, it really was beautiful. Ridiculously beautiful. She sighed again and headed to the bathroom for a shower. She felt bad enough about herself and the situation she found herself in; she couldn't sit around smelling like sex in front of her bond-mates. She hadn't even had any time to explore the bond with them. Or research it. Or figure out if they could get rid of the bond somehow. This wasn't a lifestyle she was sure she wanted to live.

After her shower, she curled up in the bed and fell asleep. She wasn't ready to face her bond-mates yet.

* * *

When Hermione woke she was alone, and from a look outside it appeared to be nighttime. She rose from the bed to stand at the window, the moon was high and bright, not quite full as it shone over the moor surrounding Rowle Rock. She still didn't have a wand and had no idea what time it was. But she was hungry.

"Nan," Hermione said quietly, tentatively. She didn't know any of the other elves names. She hated asking for an elf, but she really didn't want to see any of her bond-mates. Nor did she feel like she should explore a pure-blood supremacists' house on her own, especially one who had been dead for five years.

A very tiny, young elf popped into her room after a few minutes.

"I am Ninny, missy. Nan is sleeping," the elf apologized.

"Of course, Ninny. Call me Hermione, or Mione if you can't manage it. I'm sorry to disturb you. I didn't know any other elves' names, otherwise, I would not have called for Nan. I'm hungry, could I trouble you for a bite to eat?" Hermione knelt down to look the elf in the eye as she spoke with her.

"Yes, Missy Mione. I'll bring you something quick! Call me anytime, Master has given me to you," Ninny said and then popped out of the room again.

Hermione felt her shoulders fall. She didn't want a house elf. She had learned quite a bit from her S.P.E.W. days; she knew house elves required a bond with their employers and that free elves were not only rare, they tended to die shortly after being freed. Hermione had always suspected that Dobby had spontaneously bonded with Harry and that was the reason he had lived as long as he did. Hogwarts elves were bound to the headmaster she had learned. If Thorfinn had given her Ninny, it's possible she was still a Rowle elf, but it was just as possible that Ninny had bonded herself to Hermione. Even if Hermione left, Ninny might follow. She would be attuned to Hermione's magic.

She had been looking for a way to untangle herself from her bond-mates, not further tangle herself. She was frustrated that Thorfinn would do this without her consent, but not frustrated enough to track him down. She did need to send a message to Harry. Did he even know where she was? Or if she was safe? What if he was worrying himself silly? How could she have forgotten about her best friend like this?

When Ninny came back into the room she had a tray with fruits and cheese and a goblet of pumpkin juice. She set it on a side table along with a place setting for Hermione.

"Ninny, is there an owlery here? I need to send a message," Hermione asked.

"I can send a message for Missy Mione," Ninny replied with a hopeful look in her eye. Hermione wasn't even sure if she could trust the elf. Dobby and Winky both had taught her a lot about elves and the loyalty they felt to their masters.

"Ninny, did Thorfinn give you to me on loan? Or have you bonded yourself to me?" Hermione asked.

"Master Finn says I am your elf. I am no longer a Rowle elf, I follow you where you go and am now a Granger elf," Ninny replied with obvious pride. Hermione groaned to herself, this was a complication she did not need. Although, it did present a unique opportunity to communicate without her bond-mates being aware of it. If Ninny was truly bonded to her, Hermione could ask for her strictest confidence.

"All right, I would like you to take a message to Harry Potter in the morning for me. But Ninny, I need you to not tell anyone about it. Not about the message or anything, I don't want anyone, elf or human, to know," Hermione instructed the young elf.

Ninny nodded vigorously, "I will do as you say, Missy Mione. In the morning, I will go to Harry Potter with your message. I won't tell anyone, I swear." Ninny looked up at her with big solemn eyes.

"Thanks, Ninny," Hermione replied. She dashed off a note to Harry and handed it to Ninny.

When Ninny left, Hermione dug into the meal. It was delicious and she was hungrier than she thought because she ate all of it. She went back to bed when she was finished, but didn't sleep. She had too many questions running through her head for sleep to come. So she stared at the silky blue canopy above her bed until the sun began to shine its first rays over the horizon.

* * *

At some point, after dawn, she must have dozed off because she woke to a low hum of voices. She cracked an eye open to see her bond-mates in various positions of relaxation around her room. She struggled to tamp down a loud sigh of annoyance.

"Can I help you all?" Hermione asked without moving.

"Princess! You're awake!" Thorfinn happily exclaimed as he bounded up from the chair near the fireplace and sat next to her on the bed. He leaned over and pecked her on the cheek.

"Astute observation, Finn," Hermione replied dryly as she rolled over to sit up in the bed. The rest of her bond-mates looked happy and relaxed. She was feeling better than she had yesterday, and she wondered if it was the bond at work. Would the bond create these warm, happy feelings in the presence of her bond-mates? Could she not even trust her own feelings anymore? What was real and what was created by this bond that she never wanted?

"I can hear you thinking from over here, love," Rodolphus said with a slight smile. "Knut for your thoughts?"

Hermione thought for a moment, but she was a Gryffindor, she was supposed to be brave. She could do this.

"How am I supposed to know I can trust you?" She gestured to the four wizards. "How am I supposed to know that what I am feeling is real and not something forced on me by this bond? Everything I've ever read about magical bonds has said they are permanent and end only in death. How can the four of you look so happy to be bonded to a muggle-born? You're all pure-blood elitists; it wasn't that long ago you were trying to kill people like me. In fact, I've faced off in battle against each of you at some point during the war!" Hermione was working herself up into a state of anxiety and anger. She was so mad that this is what was happening that her hair crackled with magical tension.

Rodolphus held up a hand, indicating he would speak for the four wizards. "Those are good questions, love. And not ones that we know all of the answers to. We may never know the answers to some of them. But we've done a bit of exploring with the bond. Why do you think we're all here? We could feel your anguish through the bond. The bond was unhappy and each of us was compelled to see you, to satisfy the bond. To make the bond happy."

"You talk about the bond like it's sentient," Hermione commented.

"In a way it is, it's pure magic and it has a will of its own. The bond wants to be happy, the bond wants each of us, your bond-mates, and you to be happy. And it will do what's necessary in order to ensure that happiness. You can trust us the same way we have to trust you. The bond won't allow us to hurt each other, not on purpose anyway. As for whether your feelings are real or not, well I don't have a good answer for that. You're right, there isn't a way to escape the bond except in death, but I don't think you have it in you to kill the four of us, do you?"

Hermione shook her head. She wouldn't kill anyone just to escape the bond. It wasn't a situation she would have chosen, but that didn't mean these four wizards deserved death again.

"And we won't kill you, the bond wouldn't allow it. Your soul may be the only thing keeping us alive. I'm not about to risk it to be free of the bond," Rodolphus had been leaning against the fireplace directly across from the bed as he spoke. He strode forward and crawled onto the bed, kneeling before Hermione.

"As for how we can be happy being bonded to you, despite your heritage, you are the reason we live today. That alone should be enough but look at you, love. You're a beautiful, talented witch. How could any red-blooded wizard not want to be bonded to you?" Rodolphus asked.

"Theo didn't," Hermione muttered and looked down at her lap.

"Nott Jr. is a fool," Rodolphus spat. He reached out a hand to cup her cheek. Immediately, Hermione felt the magic of the bond. She was comforted and felt cherished and loved. She leaned into Rodolphus' hand; her eyes slipped closed as she took a deep breath and relished in the feelings.

"See, just touching you pleases the bond. We feel what you feel, Hermione. Don't think of it as you being bonded to four wizards. Think of it as four wizards living for you, being here for you, wanting what you want, and doing anything in their power to make you happy and loved and treasured," Rodolphus leaned down and captured Hermione's lips. She immediately responded to the kiss and deepened it with a swipe of her tongue against his lips. He leaned down and she surged up to meet him. His hands twisted in her hair and pulled her closer as their tongues danced. This felt right and good and how could she have doubted this?

Rodolphus pulled away and Hermione felt the loss of his touch.

"It's strange, I felt so alone and scared and then when one of you touches me it all makes sense. But the moment you stop touching me, the good feelings go away. That's what has me so concerned. Why does the bond act like this? You seem to feel it all the time, but I can only feel it when you are touching me?" Hermione's confusion was plain on her face as she mulled over the problem.

"We probably haven't spent enough time together. There's a reason after wedding bonds that couples go on month-long honeymoons. It's to get used to the bond and cement it," Rabastan replied.

Hermione had known of the tradition, Harry and Ginny spent two-months on a Greek island after they got married. But she hadn't realized it was because of the bond. Thorfinn reached out a hand and touched her shoulder and Hermione sagged into him. It wasn't like being drugged. She could still think and she felt perfectly rational. It was like indulging in a hot cup of tea to start the day; it just made her feel warm and happy.

"It appears we all need to spend some time together. Unfortunately, I don't think we're going to be able to get away right now," Rabastan continued.

"You have to testify at Nott and Malfoy's trial. We still need to figure out if you are actually bonded to the Dark Lord. I'm worried that you are and it is causing some of your negative feelings toward the bond. That bond is incomplete so we either need to figure out a way to sever it completely, or bring the Dark Lord back and include him in the group," Rodolphus ran a hand through his perfectly coiffed hair, mussing it. Hermione smiled at him softly, Rodolphus was smart and organized, she loved that about a man. But he looked worried.

"Why are you worried about the Dark Lord?" Hermione asked.

Shock showed for a very brief moment before he cleared, "How did you know I was worried about the Dark Lord?"

Hermione shrugged, she didn't know, but it had popped into her head and out of her mouth before she could stop it.

"The bond is getting better already then," Antonin commented. He had been sitting in the other chair by the fireplace and stood to lean against one of the bedposts, opposite Rabastan. Hermione smiled at him. He was quieter than the others, which she could appreciate.

"The bond should have been severed when the Dark Lord dissolved but it wasn't. Why is that? To be honest, I would be fine to have the Dark Lord back if he was the man he was when I first joined. But toward the end of the first war, he was growing increasingly paranoid and insane. During the second war, he was straight-up nutters. I don't want that back, not when I finally can see a life worth living," Rodolphus admitted sheepishly. Hermione was looking at the rest of her bond-mates; they seemed to agree with Rodolphus.

"Do none of you want the Dark Lord back?" she asked.

"And split the time I have with you even more? Not a chance, kitten," Rabastan flirted.

Thorfinn and Antonin both shook their heads as well. "I want an easy life, I'm done being a soldier," Thorfinn said quietly.

"Then we have our answer," she knelt up and met Rodolphus in the middle of the bed. She cupped his cheek and lifted his face so she could meet his eyes.

"Whatever we do, the Dark Lord stays dead. We're all in agreement. And there is no shame in not wanting that megalomaniac back on earth," Hermione told him. She leaned up and gave him a soft kiss on the lips.

"How do we find out if you are still bound to the Dark Lord? And what do we do to break that bond?" Antonin asked interrupting the kiss between Hermione and Rodolphus.

"I have no idea," Hermione replied as she sat back on her heels. Thorfinn reached out and rubbed her back and she cast a grateful look at him as she felt the bond's warmth and comfort flood her again. It really was better when one of her bond-mates was touching her.

"I have some ideas," Rabastan replied. "I worked on some Death Magic during the last war. There are easier ways to bring people back across the veil. I have no idea why Nott Jr. didn't perform one of the easier ceremonies. But we can do one of those and then perform a soul destroying ritual. That would completely destroy the Dark Lord's soul. He would never be able to come back and any bonds his soul has would be completely severed."

"Let's do it," Thorfinn growled out. "I want nothing to do with that madman, and the sooner we can get rid of him permanently the better for everyone."

"The last thing we want is some other third generationer following in Nott and Malfoy's footsteps," Antonin agreed.

"It's settled then," Rodolphus replied. "We'll need to get access to the DoM in order to perform the ritual."

"I can help there," Hermione said. "Harry's pretty high up in the Aurory, and Kingsley Shacklebolt owes me a favor after everything that's happened."

Her bond-mates agreed to the plan and Hermione felt better than she had in days. She was still uneasy when one of her bond-mates wasn't touching her. But having a way forward was a relief.

Hermione and her bond-mates spent the day looking through the Rowle library and the books Rabastan brought from Lestrange Court. They were determined to find the best rituals in order to destroy the Dark Lord once and for all.

* * *

Later that same night, Rodolphus knocked on Hermione's door. She had been dressing for dinner. Ninny had managed to get to Hermione's apartment and bring her wardrobe over.

"Dolph, hello!" Hermione greeted him as she opened to door. She walked back to the wardrobe and fished out a pair of nude heels to wear with the periwinkle dress robes she had picked out.

"Have you come to escort me to dinner?" Hermione asked. She was pleased that her bond-mates seemed to be taking such good care of her. Since their talk earlier they had all been very solicitous.

"I have," Rodolphus replied as he leaned against the door jamb and observed his bond-mate. Hermione smiled up at him as she slid her feet into her heels and joined Rodolphus at the door. He held out his arm and Hermione took it with delight.

Hermione was confused when Rodolphus led her past the dining room where she could hear the rest of her bond-mates sitting down to a meal.

"Where are we going?" Hermione asked.

"We decided it was my turn for some alone time with you," Rodolphus replied and led her to the library.

Once inside Hermione could see that only a few torches were lit and a picnic dinner had been laid out in front of the fireplace. There was a cheery fire going and a plush rug laid out on the floor for them to lounge on.

"It looks lovely," Hermione enthused as she sat on the beautiful rug. It had been charmed for comfort, Hermione couldn't even feel the floor below her, it felt as if she were sitting on a feather bed.

Rodolphus smiled at her as he poured them both a glass of champagne.

He raised his glass in a toast, "To new beginnings," he said as they clinked glasses.

Hermione was utterly charmed by how romantic Rodolphus was being. Their dinner comprised of finger foods and Rodolphus fed her from his own hands. They spoke of mutual topics of interest, Rodolphus was a talented Arithmancer and was fascinated to hear of the advancements in his field.

They finished dinner with chocolate covered fruit for dessert and more champagne. Hermione was feeling just the right amount of pleasantness from the alcohol. She laid back on the plush rug and enjoyed the feeling of the fire at her feet and being hand fed decadent desserts from Rodolphus who had propped himself above her. He began giving her teasing little kisses in between bites of dessert and Hermione could feel her desire building.

As Rodolphus pulled away from his last kiss, Hermione reached up and flung her arms around his shoulders pulling him to her again. The move surprised Rodolphus and he lost his balance, falling on top of Hermione. She groaned in response to his heavy, warm body covering hers. Hermione opened her legs and cradled Rodolphus to her, bucking her hips into his.

Rodolphus took advantage and plundered Hermione's mouth with his tongue. He bucked his hips into hers and Hermione couldn't stop her moan of pleasure.

"Dolph…" she groaned as he released her lips and began kissing down the column of her throat. When he nibbled on her earlobe she could feel the fire tingling through her, heading straight to her core.

"You are so beautiful, love," Rodolphus said as he hovered over her taking in her flushed appearance. He slowly unbuttoned her robes, kissing each piece of flesh he uncovered. Hermione's skin was aflame with desire and need. When he lifted her robes and the sheath dress she wore underneath over her head in one motion, the cool air of the room made Hermione's skin prickle. She lay on the plush rug in only her lacy red bra and knickers, her skin beginning to flush under Rodolphus' prolonged gaze.

"There is nothing to be embarrassed about," Rodolphus told her as he pressed a searing kiss to her lips. Hermione felt at a disadvantage and began working on Rodolphus' own robes. He let her and soon she had flipped them over and was straddling Rodolphus' waist as she pushed his shirt from his shoulders. He was bare underneath and Hermione happily ran her hands through his dark auburn chest hair.

"I like chest hair," Hermione admitted as she planted a kiss on Rodolphus' chest. He was broader than Rabastan and hairier and Hermione found it appealing. With her nose buried into his chest, she breathed in deep smelling his intoxicating scent of woodsmoke and sandalwood. He gripped her hips tightly when she began to tease his flat nipples with her tongue.

"Merlin, love," Rodolphus breathed as Hermione kissed her way down his stomach and began working on the buttons on his trousers. Rodolphus stopped her after she had them unbuttoned.

"Not yet, love. I want to worship you first," Rodolphus said. He laid her back gently on the rug and began kissing every part of her. His hands running along her sides and soon both her bra and knickers were gone. Hermione felt truly adored when Rodolphus finally got to her center.

"Gods, Dolph," Hermione moaned as he licked up her slit and tongued the pearl at the top of her sex. Hermione couldn't stop her hips from bucking and Rodolphus chuckled at her actions. His laugh vibrated her sex and Hermione felt more desire sweep through her. She was sure she got wetter just by hearing the sound. Hermione reached down and gripped Rodolphus' head. She twined her fingers through his dark auburn hair and held him to her center. He lifted her hips with his hands to his mouth and began working her in earnest. Soon Hermione's orgasm was cresting and she shouted out as she came.

While her heart steadied, Rodolphus had been slowly licking his way up from her center and captured her lips with his. She had never felt so loved and cared for before. He was doing everything he could to make this a pleasant experience for her and Hermione could tell. It touched her that he cared so much about her.

"Are you ready, love?" Rodolphus asked. Hermione gazed up at his hazel eyes with a satisfied smiled and nodded. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

Rodolphus reached between them and settled himself at her entrance and then he slowly pushed in. Hermione could feel each delicious centimeter slide inside and it felt like coming home. She loved the feeling of being filled by one of her wizards. Hermione ignored the pinch of her left wrist but she did see the pale green light flash out and fill the room.

"Oh, gods, love. You are so wet - a perfect fit for me," Rodolphus moaned as he seated himself fully inside her. Hermione groaned in response, she loved it when a wizard spoke to her as they made love. It made her hotter.

"Yes, Dolph, just like that," Hermione responded and bucked her hips into his. Rodolphus groaned and slowly pulled out, inching back in. He grabbed one of Hermione's legs and hooked it around his waist canting her hips further. This time when he slid back home she met his thrust.

"Love, you are so beautiful and perfect and made for me," Rodolphus told her as they found a rhythm together. They rocked in front of the fireplace until Hermione felt her orgasm building again.

"Dolph, I'm so close, harder," Hermione whined as she hooked her other leg around him and locked her ankles.

"Gods, love," Rodolphus groaned at the new angle and began pistoning his hips. He had only pumped a few times before she came with a cry. She clung to him as he continued pounding into her to reach his own peak.

Hermione didn't let go of Rodolphus even after they were both spent. They laid on the rug clinging to one another as their hearts calmed from the frantic ending to their love making. Hermione couldn't think of it as sex or fucking, it was truly love making. She felt closer to Rodolphus than she did before and relished the feel of him all around her.

"I've got to move, love, I'll crush you," Rodolphus said as he attempted to extricate himself from Hermione's embrace.

"Not yet," Hermione begged as she squeezed him close. She never felt closer to a wizard than after sex and this was Hermione's favorite part.

Rodolphus chuckled and rolled them over to their sides. He brushed some of Hermione's hair from her eyes with his left hand and Hermione caught sight of the bond-mark on his wrist.

"Just like Bast and Antonin's," she said quietly. She ran a finger around it and felt the bond pulse between them.

Rodolphus lifted her own left wrist up for them to view, it had light blue, gold, and pale green strands circling it in a Celtic style braid.

"It's beautiful," Hermione said in awe.

"It's not finished yet," Rodolphus replied and then laughed at Hermione's resulting blush.

"I'll never get tired of your blushes, love," Rodolphus said as he kissed her nose and tucked her head into his chest. Hermione smiled and snuggled close to her wizard.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**
> 
> **A/N: This is the last 'real' chapter. One more after this and it's an epilogue. This was so fun to write! I hope you all enjoyed the ride!**
> 
> **This is a poly-fic, Hermione is paired with multiple wizards, if this bothers you, please turn back now.**
> 
> **The amazing Canimal is the author who breathed life into the Thorfinn Rowle I am using as a character. She's a boss and you should all go read her fics now!**
> 
> **My lovely beta's are brownlark42 and SlytherclawFaerie. They are awesome and really made this fic what it is. Any further mistakes are all mine.**
> 
> **This originated from the Plunny Factory thread on the DEE group on Facebook by Valli1312. So all props to the idea go to her and I'm just happy she let me play with it.**
> 
> Oh! I always forget, you can find me on tumblr at crochetawayhpff.
> 
> **Enjoy!**

It was the following day when Hermione found herself back in a Ministry courtroom for the trial of Theo and Malfoy. Hermione hadn't been called to testify as the court planned to use the transaction of her previous trial as evidence against the pair. Hermione wasn't sure how she felt about that. On one hand, she'd like to be able to confront Theo about all of the wrongs he had committed against her, but on the other, she was happy to be ensconced in the crowd of her bond-mates. She had two bond-mates on either side of her lending their support. Adrian Pucey was there as well as Harry and Ginny, having received her note from two days ago. They had brought her wand and Hermione had been very relieved to finally have it in her hand again.

Kingsley was presiding over the trial. Hermione hoped with all of the evidence against them that the trial would go quickly and both men would be sentenced to Azkaban. She couldn't have been more wrong.

The trial took most of the day; the Wizengamot adjourned in the evening for deliberation. They invited everyone back the following day to hear their sentencing. Hermione couldn't help but feel that this was a negative development and that Theo and Malfoy were going to get off. Her bond-mates invited the Potters and Pucey back to Rowle Rock for dinner.

"They are going to get off," Hermione told the group glumly. She didn't expect that they should be prosecuted as a special favor to her, but they had broken the law. They had kidnapped her and held her against her will. They had performed Death Magic and brought wizards back from the dead. They had attempted to bring back the Dark Lord, the bane of the wizarding world for over three decades.

"I'm inclined to agree," Pucey nodded. "I think the Wizengamot broke so they could figure out an excuse as to why they are going to let them go."

"What?!" Harry exclaimed. "How can they let them off? They broke so many laws!"

"Prejudice," Ginny replied. She looked at Hermione and shrugged, "Hermione's a woman, already less believable than a man. She's muggleborn, an interloper into wizarding society. And they are both scions of ancient houses, the last of their houses. That alone could get the Wizengamot to give them a light sentence."

Thorfinn agreed, "Did you never wonder how the four of us were able to sail through the hearings at the Wizengamot with bank accounts and properties intact? The Wizengamot was happy to have three pure blood lines be re-established."

"Seriously?" Hermione asked. She couldn't quite keep the disgust from her voice.

"Sorry, love," Rodolphus said with a shrug. He didn't look that apologetic to Hermione.

"Well, when this is all over. We are going to enact some serious reform in the wizarding world," Hermione told the group.

Rabastan laughed, "Oh yeah, kitten? And how are you planning to do that? There are hundreds of years of prejudices to combat."

"You don't know Hermione that well, do you?" Harry asked with a smirk.

Ginny laughed with Harry, "She's a force of nature when she gets it in her head that something needs changing."

"I assume the Lestranges and Rowles each have a Wizengamot seat?" Hermione asked. When her bond-mates nodded their agreement, she grinned. "Then you'll each take up your appropriate place on the Wizengamot. I'll get Arthur Weasley to take the Weasley seat, and we'll begin there."

"And what would you have me do,  _mishka_?" Antonin asked with a leer. "I can keep you company as the others are busy in government all day," he suggested with a waggle of his eyebrows.

Hermione laughed, "I'll need someone in the Department of International Cooperation, I think you'd be good at that. And I'll start in the Department of Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures - which needs to be renamed. Maybe the Department of Magical Cooperation instead? Once I have a few years under my belt and the Wizengamot on my side, I'll run for Minister," Hermione lost herself in her plans for the future. She had known that her time at Ars Arithmica was going to be just temporary. After the war, she was sick of fighting, and she needed a break from it all. It's why she went to work at the journal.

But now her blood was boiling, knowing that two men were going to get off without their proper punishment due to unjust prejudice in the wizarding world. She was going to fight injustice wherever she saw it, not just let it go by the wayside. It was in her nature, perhaps entirely unavoidable.

"Why the sudden change?" Rodolphus asked.

"I was tired of fighting after the war; I needed a break," Hermione admitted quietly. She looked down at her hands, her dinner forgotten on her plate. She was somewhat ashamed of her actions. She had run away from what she perceived as her duty in order to take a break.

"Princess," Thorfinn said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "We all need breaks sometimes. It's good you are going to get back into something you are passionate about."

Hermione smiled up at him, her bond-mates always knew what to say to cheer her up. When the group broke up later that night, Hermione headed to her bedroom alone. She had been getting to know her bond-mates, but she wasn't entirely comfortable with them yet. She still wanted her own space.

* * *

Hermione had just stepped out of the shower when the door to her bathroom opened. Thorfinn leaned against the doorway and looked her up and down. Hermione blushed and wrapped the towel more firmly around herself.

"Can I help you, Finn?" she asked primly as she walked to the sink to brush her teeth.

"Just enjoying the view, Princess," Thorfinn smirked at her. Hermione rolled her eyes at him and continued her ablutions. When she was finished, she turned to find Thorfinn standing right behind her, blocking her way.

"You've been in my house for days, Princess. The bond demands satisfaction," Thorfinn growled as he cupped her face with his large hand. Hermione felt the wave of trust and completion fall over her at his touch and she leaned into it.

"May I, Princess?" Thorfinn asked as he leaned close for a kiss. Hermione nodded her assent and Thorfinn's soft lips were on hers. His kiss was fierce and fire. It instantly inflamed Hermione and suddenly she couldn't get enough of him. She wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders and pulled him closer to her, forgetting about her towel. She barely noticed when it slipped to the floor.

Thorfinn ran his other massive hand down her arm and to her waist, pulling her close to him. The hand cupping her cheek, slid through her damp hair to the back of her neck, directing their kiss. His hand was large enough to wrap almost entirely around Hermione's neck. Hermione moaned and felt her nipples harden. Thorfinn grinned into the kiss.

"I knew you were full of fire, Princess," he murmured as he kissed his way to her ear. He nipped at her earlobe before kissing his way down her neck. The hand that was behind her head smoothed it's way down her back and he cupped her bum in both hands.

"Finn," Hermione groaned as she thrust her chest higher. She grabbed the back of his head and directed him to her breasts.

Thorfinn chuckled even as he swiped at a nipple with his tongue. Hermione's nipples hardened further under his ministrations and she twined her hands in his huge mane of hair, urging him on. She rubbed her thighs together in an attempt to try and relieve the ache there. Thorfinn's hands dropped to the back of her thighs and he lifted her in one smooth motion, depositing her on top of the bathroom counter.

When Hermione's bare skin hit the cold marble she shrieked causing Thorfinn to laugh again.

"Finn put me down! It's cold," Hermione yelped. Her complaint turned into a moan as Thorfinn sucked on her other nipple and stepped between her spread thighs. He grasped her left hand and pulled it down to his cock. Hermione cupped him through his trousers and gasped at the feel of his hot length in her hand.

"Get naked, now," she demanded as she began pulling at his shirt. Thorfinn chuckled and yanked his shirt over his head.

"As the Princess commands," he murmured and began unbuckling his belt.

Hermione attacked his mouth as he stepped out of his trousers and pants and ran her hands over every inch of skin she could feel. He was by far the largest of her bond-mates making her feel positively tiny in comparison. She reached down and grabbed his cock with her right hand, marveling at how big it was as she used her left hand to pull him down for another kiss. She gave him several pumps and he soon was bucking his hips into her hands.

"Princess," he whined as he broke the kiss and leaned his forehead against hers.

"Yes, Finn?" Hermione asked. She was barely able to contain her smirk.

"I'm going to come all over those gorgeous tits of yours if you don't stop," he said as he closed his eyes. His hips bucked wildly and Hermione moved her hand from his cock. Thorfinn groaned at the loss of contact and sucked in a few deep breaths, clearly trying to get himself under control.

Hermione wrapped both arms around his shoulders to bring him close, then wrapped her legs around his waist, trapping his massive cock between them.

She leaned forward, "Take me to bed, Finn," she whispered in his ear and then bit his earlobe.

"Gods, yes!" Thorfinn replied. He placed both hands on her bum and spun around heading to the bedroom. Hermione attacked his neck and chest with her mouth. When Thorfinn gave a particularly delightful groan after Hermione had licked his flat small nipple, she licked it again. And then turned her attention to the other one.

"You are going to be the death of me, little witch," Thorfinn growled as he dropped her on the bed. Hermione bounced once and then reached forward to pull the sizeable wizard on top of her. She loved how little she felt beneath him, like he was big and strong enough to keep the rest of the world at bay.

Hermione cradled Thorfinn's hips in hers and arched up to meet him, "Please, Finn. I need you," she breathed into his ear. Thorfinn hissed in response. He reached down to align himself, thrusting in one smooth movement, filling her completely. She had never in her life felt as full as she did with Thorfinn; his massive body boasted a massive cock, and she reveled at the feel of him inside her. Her left wrist pinched again and a shadowy, ruby light filled the room, then flashed out.

Thorfinn grinned at the manifestation of the completed bond and leaned down to kiss her. He broke the kiss by reclining back on his knees bringing Hermione with him. Thorfinn knelt on the bed, and Hermione straddled his waist, her legs crossing behind his back. He lifted her up and brought her back down on his hard cock. Hermione whined when he left and groaned again when he entered her.

"Fuck, Princess. If I knew this was what was waiting for me, I'd have taken you on the floor of that dungeon," Thorfinn growled into her hair as he plunged into her again. Hermione moaned her agreement, arching her back when Thorfinn hit a particularly delicious spot inside her.

"Right there," she mewled as he hit that same spot again.

"You got it, Princess," Thorfinn purred as he started driving into her. Hermione could only cling to his wide shoulders as his pace increased. Soon she could feel the tell-tale signs of her orgasm approaching. Her skin felt like it was on fire and she could feel the desire building in her belly. Her orgasm broke over her in waves and she was panting out Thorfinn's name as she came. Thorfinn hammered through her orgasm and when Hermione felt she couldn't take anymore, he pulled out. He hadn't peaked yet. Thorfinn gave her a grin and a peck on the lips before he turned and helped her get on her hands and knees. He pushed between her shoulder blades, and Hermione sank her chest down in relief of not having to hold herself up. He grasped her hips and spread her wide. Then shoved himself inside. Hermione felt stretched to the limit; she had thought she was full earlier, but in this new position, Thorfinn truly had her filled up.

The new angle was good too, she was coming again after only a few thrusts.

"Gods, Princess, you are so responsive," Thorfinn hummed as he rode through her second orgasm.

"Please, Finn," Hermione mewed. She was sure she couldn't take much more from him.

"Oh no, little witch. You've got at least one more in you," Thorfinn responded as he pulled out of her. As soon as he was no longer holding her hips up, she collapsed to the bed. Thorfinn helped her roll over and then grasped each foot and set them atop his shoulders.

This time he took his time entering her, she could feel her walls still fluttering from her most recent orgasm and it must have made her passage tight for his hefty tool. Once he was fully seated, he leaned over her. With her legs draped over his shoulders, her thighs were at her chest and she felt like a pretzel. Then he pulled out and pushed back in rapidly and the new position had Hermione screaming her pleasure. It didn't take long for either of them to peak this time. Her previous orgasms making her passage tighter and wetter and Thorfinn's seed splashed into her as his thrusts lost their rhythm.

"Fuck, Princess. Hermione," he gasped when he finally stilled and let her legs fall from his shoulders.

Instead of collapsing on top of Hermione, Thorfinn pulled out and then rolled so she was sprawled over his chest. Hermione hummed her appreciation and fell asleep before he had even pulled the blanket over them.

* * *

The following morning found Hermione and her bond-mates gathered in the same courtroom as the day before. After the Wizengamot had filed in, Kingsley stood to address the crowd. He looked as if he had swallowed a lemon.

"In the matter of Theodore Thoros Nott and Draco Lucius Malfoy versus the people of Wizarding Britain, this body finds them guilty. The sentence will be suspended and each will be required to pay a fine of three thousand Galleons and perform twenty hours of community service," Kingsly practically spat out the last bit and banged his gavel before turning away.

"Community service?! Merlin, I knew they'd get off, but I hoped for a bit more than that," Hermione muttered to Rabastan as they left the courtroom.

"Don't worry, kitten. You'll get your chance to change the world," Rabastan told her with a smirk as he placed a hand on her lower back guiding her down the hallway to the lifts.

When they reached the lifts, both Theo and Malfoy were standing there looking smug with their lawyers. Hermione sneered at the pair of them.

"Don't get too comfortable, Granger," Theo threatened with a leer toward her bond-mates. "Your wizards will find a real witch when they are done sampling you. How they can even stand my sloppy seconds, I'll never know."

Hermione's eyes widened in hurt. She still hadn't reconciled this sneering, hateful man in front of her to the boyfriend she had hoped to marry one day. She felt tears begin to well up and turned into Rabastan to hide them. Nobody spoke for a long moment and Hermione could feel mortifying humiliation rise. None of her bond-mates were going to speak up for her.

This was a mistake, aligning herself with these bigots was a mistake. Hermione felt hot with humiliation, and she turned out of Rabastan's embrace. She didn't meet his eyes; she couldn't and she kept her gaze on the floor. Hermione wouldn't stand here and be mocked. She had taken a few steps before Thorfinn hauled her back. She gasped when he took a hold of her arms and dragged her into his hard body. He turned her around to face her bond-mates and their handiwork.

Theo was bound and gagged on the floor. She hadn't heard a single spell whispered or even heard him hit the ground. Malfoy was clearly silenced, as his face was red and he was shouting, but Hermione couldn't hear him say anything. Each of her bond-mates had a wand pointed at the pair, except Thorfinn who was holding her close.

"See Princess, we'll always be here for you. Don't listen to that," he pointed toward Theo, "complete and utter arsehole. You got a raw deal from him, and we won't let him get away with it," Thorfinn whispered into her ear.

Hermione whimpered as she felt her body relax into Thorfinn's embrace. She should have known, her bond-mates had been trying to tell her and show her for days that they actually cared about her. But she had been wrapped up in the emotions running through her that she hadn't realized they had defended her at all.

* * *

Later that evening Hermione had returned to her own bedroom again. She needed some time to herself to sort through her feelings. The last two days had been emotionally trying for her. Although she had completed the bond with each of her bond-mates, something still didn't feel right. She suspected it was the bond wanting to complete with Voldemort. But she wasn't sure and couldn't bring herself to discuss the issue with any of her bond-mates. She may be bound to them for life, but they still seemed like perfect strangers to her sometimes.

That was her bond-mates conjecture. That she was so uncomfortable because the magic of the bond was trying to get her to bond with someone from beyond the veil. She hoped they would get a chance to get to the Ministry and terminate the bond once and for all. She didn't always want to feel this way, insecure and unsure of herself and her bond-mates. They seemed so sure of themselves and Hermione envied them that.

Ninny had drawn her a bath and afterward, Hermione laid down to sleep. She could just see the moon rising outside one of her windows as she drifted off to sleep.

Hermione woke up at some point during the night. She wasn't sure when, but it was still dark out. Something didn't feel right. She didn't feel right. She was missing something and she needed to go and find it. Hermione rose from her bed and shuffled out of her room. She soon found herself outside of Rowle Rock and began walking to the edge of the wards in order to Apparate. She felt muzzy and didn't know where she needed to go, only that she needed to. Hermione hadn't even bothered to don shoes and was only in her thin, silky white nightdress.

She Apparated blind, not having a destination in mind and found herself in the deserted Ministry atrium. Hermione still wasn't quite conscious enough to recognize her surroundings, but she made her way toward the lifts.

When the lift door dinged open, Hermione exited into the Department of Mysteries. She pulled the correct door open in one try and entered the Death Chamber.

Theo and Malfoy were there - the circle was prepared, but yet not closed. They had been calling Hermione through her bond with Voldemort. The only way to bring him back was through that bond. Hermione smiled dreamily at them,  _Theo is so cute_ , she thought as he guided her to the center of the circle. She stood just before the veil; if she listened closely she could hear the mutterings and murmurings from beyond the arch. The veil fluttered loosely and when Hermione drew closer, the edge touched the top of her toes.

"Do you hear that?" she asked Theo and Malfoy. She leaned further toward the veil, she thought she heard someone calling to her.

"Someone is calling my name," she whispered and made to move through the archway. Theo and Malfoy both grabbed her.

"Not yet, Granger," Malfoy grunted as he pulled her back. "You can go through, but we have to do something first."

"Alright Malfoy," Hermione agreed happily. She stood in front of the veil and wondered what they were waiting for. She could feel her bond-mate just on the other side, ready to come through.

"Malfoy? Theo? He's right there, I can hear him! I can almost see him," Hermione said as she bent at the waist and twisted her head trying to see around the fluttering veil. Theo grinned at Malfoy behind her. Hermione was completely oblivious.

The wizards began chanting slowly and softly to themselves. Hermione thought it sounded beautiful, like singing, and she swayed along to the rhythm they were creating. Soon a hand thrust forward from the archway and pulled aside the veil. A tall man with dark wavy hair and dark eyes to match stepped through and stood directly in front of Hermione.

Hermione smiled happily at the man, giving him a little wave. Her mate was here, finally. She had been craving him. Her bond with him demanded satisfaction.

"Finally," the man said in a deep baritone. His voice caused Hermione to shiver and he looked down at her. He seemed puzzled as to why she was there. Hermione looked down and noticed she was only in her flimsy nightgown.

"I should have dressed up to meet my final bond-mate," Hermione apologized, embarrassed, as she looked back up at the tall man. He sneered at her, his brow furrowing over his pitch black eyes.

"Bond-mate? What is the meaning of this?" he demanded of the pair standing behind Hermione. Hermione turned to look at the other two wizards.

"These are my friends, Theo and Malfoy," she said. "They brought you back to me," she turned back to the man and gave him a hug around his waist, squeezing him to her tightly.  _Oh_ , she thought,  _there's the comfort I know and love._  She could feel the bond warm and hum between them. It wanted to be sealed, to be completed.

"Can we seal it now?" she asked as she propped her chin on his chest and looked up at him. The dark man did not return her embrace, his hands hung limply at his sides as he looked at Theo and Malfoy with exasperation.

"Really? Is this how you bring your Lord back? Get this thing off of me," he spat as he shoved Hermione from him. She lost her balance and fell on her bum, her already skimpy nightdress slipping further up her thigh and showing more creamy flesh than she had intended.

The doors to the Death Chamber crashed open and four more wizards came pouring into the room.

"Hermione!" Thorfinn shouted when he caught sight of her sprawled on the floor. He ran to her and scooped her up into his arms. "Are you alright? Did they hurt you, Princess? I'll kill them all if they did," he told her as he inspected her for injuries.

"No, Finn. These are my friends, Theo and Malfoy!" she pointed to the pair. Switching her attention to the dark haired man still standing in front of the veiled arch, "And this is my other bond-mate. I don't know his name though. What's your name?" she asked him.

Hermione watched as Thorfinn flinched when he finally noticed the other man. He almost made to kneel, but stopped himself and stood tall. Hermione hugged him tighter to herself, she loved her bond-mates.

"What's wrong with you, Princess? You know why we didn't want your other bond-mate brought forward. What did you do?" Antonin asked her as he stepped in front of them. He had his back to the Dark Lord. He only had eyes for his bond-mate.

"What is the meaning of this?" the dark haired man snapped. "Rowle? Dolohov? Brothers Lestrange? What is going on? Bow to your Lord!"

"Sorry, boss," Rabastan said with a shrug. "We already decided. One woman to four men was enough of a split. We aren't allowing a fifth."

"A fifth what?" the Dark Lord asked, his tone was low and dangerous.

"A fifth bond-mate. Besides, you don't really do the sex thing do you?" Rodolphus asked. Both he and Rabastan stood to either side of Thorfinn and Hermione. Their wands were drawn.

"Is that how you idiots brought me back? Through a soul-bond?" the Dark Lord asked Malfoy and Theo.

"To be fair, we didn't realize it was a soul-bond at the time," Malfoy admitted. Theo smacked his shoulder.

"It doesn't matter," Theo said. "You're back now and we're going to get rid of the mudblood so you won't have a pesky soul-bond to deal with."

"You think we're going to let you kill our bond-mate?" Thorfinn asked incredulously. Hermione smiled up at him. Her bond-mates were so good to her.

"Why not? Don't tell me you four want to keep her?" Malfoy scoffed.

"And what happens to the bond that brought us forward?" Rodolphus asked.

Theo shrugged in response.

"You are an idiot Nott Jr.," Rabastan declared. "I know enough Death Magic that if you bind souls and then kill one of them, the other soul bound to it dies as well. We can't kill Hermione. That is unless you want to send all five of us back to the grave?"

Theo and Malfoy looked at each other, each paler than they normal. Clearly, neither of them had known that.

"And right now, it's five against two and a man with no wand, so I'll take my chances. We came prepared to save our bond-mate and sever the bond between her and Voldemort," Antonin told the group as he turned to face the Dark Lord finally. He smirked as the Dark Lord recoiled to hearing his name said with such disrespect.

"Dolohov? I was good to you! Why would you do this?" the Dark Lord questioned.

"Because you don't have a hot, tight cunt to fuck, do you, my Lord?" Antonin sneered at him. Thorfinn pulled Hermione closer to him and looked into her face. She smiled up at him dreamily.

"Shite," he muttered. "Rodolphus, she's in a dream state or something; she's not totally lucid," Thorfinn murmured. Things in the Death Chamber were turning pear shaped. They needed Hermione to be awake so she could protect herself, even without a wand - as it was now, she was a sitting crup.

"Just slap her, or cast an  _Aguamenti_ ," Rodolphus whispered back.

Thorfinn dropped Hermione back to her feet and looked deep into her eyes. They were glazed, and clearly nobody was home, "Forgive me, Princess."

He slapped her hard with his right hand, holding on to her shoulders with his left as she rocked backwards. That didn't do the trick, she turned her head to look back at him her eyes hurt, but still dazed.

" _Aguamenti_ ," he muttered and pointed his wand at her. Hermione awoke with a great gasp as she was doused with freezing cold water.

"For Merlin's sake, Finn! What was that for?" Hermione shouted once she got a look at who was in front of her.

"Sorry, Princess. Had to wake you up somehow," Thorfinn said as he eyed her. She looked down and blushed. She was in a too short, almost see-through white nighty and now it was wet, leaving nothing to the imagination.

"Well dry me off now!" she demanded as she grabbed his hand and pointed his wand at her. Thorfinn licked his lips and grinned at her.

"Do I have to?" he pouted.

"Yes, dammit!" Hermione insisted. "It's freezing in here…" She trailed off when she got a look at where they were.  _Oh Merlin, why am I back in the Death Chamber?_  And then she caught sight of the Dark Lord and Theo and Malfoy.

She forgot about getting dry as she felt her blood boil. Theo and Malfoy definitely had something to do with this. And she wasn't going to let them get away with it this time.

"THEODORE THOROS NOTT!" she thundered as she stalked up to him, punching him in the face. "You foul, sodding tosspot! I ought to kill you now!" she screamed as she kicked him with her bare feet. It wasn't as effective as it would have been with her shoes. She wished she had her wand; she had a variety of nasty hexes at her disposal that he could use right now.

"As entertaining as this is,  _mishka_ ," Antonin said as he pulled her away from kicking Theo. "We have a bigger problem," he clarified, pointing to the Dark Lord.

"Oh Circe! They succeeded? He's back?" Hermione faltered. She suddenly felt dizzy, like she needed to sit down. Antonin pulled her close to steady her.

"You don't have a wand. You have to stay out of this fight," he whispered in her ear as he shoved her behind him.

He didn't wait. He cast an  _Incarcerous_  at Theo and a knockback jinx at the Dark Lord. The Dark Lord stumbled but didn't fall back through the veil. Hermione peeked around Antonin and watched as each of her bond-mates were fighting against Malfoy. And now Theo. Malfoy had ended the charm on the ropes tying him up. It wasn't quite a fair fight, as the Dark Lord was capable of quite a bit of wandless magic.

"Accio Mudblood!" the Dark Lord shouted. Hermione scoffed thinking it wouldn't work, but then she was flying across the chamber and into the Dark Lord's waiting arms.

"Hello, mate," he sneered down at her. Instantly her mates stopped fighting the Dark Lord. When Malfoy and Theo noticed, they redoubled their efforts. But two against four wasn't an even match and her mates soon prevailed, leaving both Theo and Malfoy bound and gagged. They lay on the floor gasping for air from their noses. Rabastan collected both of their wands.

"What do you want, Voldemort?" Thorfinn growled through his teeth.

"Oh, Rowle, you never were that smart. Obviously I want to live," the Dark Lord chuckled. He had Hermione pressed to his front. She wanted to hate it, wanted to hate being pressed against him, and to hate him. But she couldn't. With him holding her the bond was singing and calling to be fulfilled. She tried to hold herself stiff and straight, but she longed to sag back into him and let him carry her weight.

"Not going to happen," Rabastan snapped. "I don't even need you to release her to send you back."

"And what's to stop me from calling her again?" the Dark Lord asked with a smirk.  _He had called her?_   _Nimue,_  Hermione thought,  _he's more powerful than I realized._

"As soon as I figured out what was keeping me tethered to the living plane, I began calling her. And like a good little mudblood, she came," he leaned down and sniffed Hermione's neck. Hermione knew it was a move designed to upset the rest of her bond-mates, but she couldn't stop the moan of desire that bubbled out of her.

"And look, she wants me," the Dark Lord took a big sniff. "Can you smell her? I can."

Hermione rubbed her thighs together to try and relieve the ache there. She was furious with herself. She needed to keep a straight head. She had to get away from him so Rabastan could destroy his soul for good.

"This is the bond," Hermione said quietly as if encouraging herself. "You don't actually want him. You want your bond-mates, the non-evil ones."

She wasn't quiet enough and the Dark Lord roared with laughter.

"She's trying to convince herself she doesn't want me. Should I take her and complete the bond?" the Dark Lord asked as he groped Hermione's breast, tweaking her nipple. Hermione was successful in containing her groan this time, but couldn't stop her hand from drifting toward her center. She needed some relief.

"Stop!" Antonin snapped. He rushed forward, but stopped abruptly when the Dark Lord placed both hands around Hermione's neck and began squeezing lightly.

Hermione was now utterly terrified. He could strangle her or snap her neck before any of her bond-mates got close to her. She closed her eyes to ward off the tears.  _Think, dammit, think Granger,_  she berated herself. A wisp of a memory from a long forgotten self-defense class drifted through her head. Hermione let herself go limp to catch the Dark Lord off guard, and then kicked her heel back, catching his groin. He dropped his hands from her neck as he grabbed his crotch, falling to the floor. Hermione rushed forward and Antonin caught her. She began to sob and suck in huge breaths.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," she muttered over and over again. She felt a deep betrayal at her actions. She couldn't believe she acted so wantonly with Voldemort of all people.

"Shhh, it's alright,  _mishka_ ," Antonin soothed as he ran a hand down her hair. He held her close and she buried her face into him, deeply breathing in his scent. She could hear Rabastan chanting behind them and knew he was working on destroying Voldemort's soul.

Hermione clung to Antonin, she had no desire to watch this. She knew her bond-mates would take care of her. When Voldemort let loose a high-pitched scream, Hermione whipped around, startled. His body disintegrated into dust, flying back through the archway with such violence that the veil whipped straight back and they could see into the void. It was like looking into deep space, dark, black, and it went on forever. The violence of the soul destruction shook the arch.

"Get back!" Rabastan shouted. Antonin pulled Hermione back with him as she and her bond-mates retreated to the top of the auditorium.

They had forgotten about Malfoy and Theo. When the arch exploded, the pair were caught in the rubble. The subsequent vacuum sucked everything away. When the smoke settled, it was an empty amphitheater. There was no arch, no stage, no veil, no Malfoy, no Theo; they were gone forever.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**
> 
> **A/N: This is the end! This was a fun one to write, so I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did!**
> 
> **This is a poly-fic, Hermione is paired with multiple wizards, if this bothers you, please turn back now.**
> 
> **The amazing Canimal is the author who breathed life into the Thorfinn Rowle I am using as a character. She's a boss and you should all go read her fics now!**
> 
> **My lovely beta's are brownlark42 and SlytherclawFaerie. They are awesome and really made this fic what it is. Any further mistakes are all mine.**
> 
> **This originated from the Plunny Factory thread on the DEE group on Facebook by Valli1312. So all props to the idea go to her and I'm just happy she let me play with it.**
> 
> **You can find me on tumblr at crochetawayhpff.**
> 
> **Enjoy!**

In the end, Hermione and her bond-mates were not charged for the deaths of Theo Nott and Draco Malfoy. It had been ruled an accident, and they were even rewarded for their roles in stopping the third coming of the Dark Lord known as Voldemort. Sylvanus Wood and the unnamed Unspeakable were both fired for their actions prior to Hermione's trial.

Hermione's plan to overhaul the laws of the wizarding world did come to fruition, or rather was coming to fruition. She was in her second five-year term as Minister for Magic and had a Wizengamot full of witches and wizards who were allied with her and her bond-mates. As much as she hated to admit it, it did pay to be bonded into two of the Sacred Twenty-Eight families.

Although, she did take full advantage of that fact. When they returned from their three-month long honeymoon to Croatia, she had Thorfinn and Rodolphus take up their seats on the Wizengamot. Several seats were vacant and Hermione was determined to fill them with allies. Neville succeeded in taking his Gran's seat; not that Augusta Longbottom wasn't sympathetic, but she didn't see the need for massive reform that Hermione did. Percy Weasley had taken the Weasley seat years before. She even coaxed Harry into taking up the Black seat, which had been empty since Sirius' father's death during the first wizarding war. Potter was not a Sacred Twenty-Eight family, but as Sirius' sole heir, he was eligible to inherit the seat. Andromeda Black, of all people, had taken the Malfoy seat in lieu of Teddy Lupin; Teddy was busy being a chaser for the Ballycastle Bats and didn't have time to sit on the Wizengamot. A distant cousin of Theo, Leslie Shafiq, had come forward to take the Nott seat. Antonin was now head of the Department of International Magic Cooperation.

After Hermione had ascended to Minister for Magic, it was suddenly en-vogue to be working for the Ministry, and attempting to reform the laws and rules that governed the Wizarding World. She opened early child care centers across the country and started a department that was dedicated to going to muggleborn children's homes at the first sign of accidental magic. This stepped approached helped Muggle families acclimate to the culture of the Wizarding World before their children left for Hogwarts at age eleven.

Hogwarts was another area Hermione tackled. Muggle Studies was overhauled to be a useful class for Muggleborns and wizard raised alike, and she added a Wizarding Studies class that focussed on wizarding culture and norms for muggleborns and half-bloods. After Professor Binns retired, History of Magic was no longer a nap-inducing class and became a favorite of the students.

Hermione sighed as she leaned back in her chair. Her office was large and she enjoyed that she could see the Ministry Atrium from her windows, but at the moment she was just tired. And stressed. She was in her third and final pregnancy, and it was taking a toll on her body. She had two other children - Leif was almost five now and was Thorfinn's son and heir, Maksim, quite the wild child, was seven and Antonin's son. Hermione was glad that Rabastan had decided to be home full-time to watch over the children.

This time she was pregnant with Rodolphus' twins, a boy and a girl. Hermione was excited to finally get a girl. And she was ready to be done with this pregnancy. She had already warned her bond-mates that this would be her last one. Each family had an heir, she was done. She needed to focus on creating a better world for her children.

Hermione woke from a light doze when she heard her door click shut. Thorfinn was in her office and stalking toward her.

"Hello, Finn," she said as she stood to greet him. He wrapped his arms around her and dipped his head for a deep kiss. Hermione had always had a healthy sex life, but pregnancy hormones had her insatiable. She couldn't get enough of her bond-mates. She moaned into Thorfinn's kiss and wrapped her own arms around his shoulders, using her hands in his mane to pull him close to her.

A second set of hands settled on her hips and Hermione grinned into her kiss. It seemed her bond-mates were going to give her a little afternoon delight. She couldn't wait. She broke the kiss from Thorfinn and found Antonin behind her.

" _Mishka,_ " he said in greeting as he dipped his head to capture her lips. Even after all these years, a simple kiss from one of her bond-mates had her blood on fire and her body singing.

"Merlin, I love seeing you pregnant, Princess," Thorfinn muttered as he began unbuttoning her robes.

"Close the blinds," Hermione demanded in between kisses shared with Antonin.

"I've already closed them, kitten," Rabastan said as he approached the group. Hermione hadn't even heard him come in. She turned to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. Rabastan insisted he didn't mind that she wouldn't be giving him a child, but Hermione still felt a bit guilty about it. She tried to give him extra attention to make up for it.

"I've transfigured the couch, love," Rodolphus said from the doorway of her office. Hermione broke her embrace with Rabastan and headed to greet Rodolphus. He was casting privacy and silencing wards on her office, being sure to encompass the whole office and not just the door and windows. This was old hat, in the early days they would regularly ambush her at her office as she worked long hours. It was a very familiar dance they all played.

Rodolphus turned from the door and swept Hermione up into a big hug, "How are my children today, love?" he asked as he laid a hand on her round belly.

"Active," Hermione replied dryly as she pulled him in for a kiss. Thorfinn came up behind her and began removing her robes again. Hermione soon stood nude in front of her bond-mates. She rolled her eyes and with a wave of her wand, each of her bond-mates was naked too. This too was very familiar. It hadn't taken the five of them long to begin sharing a bed and room on a nightly basis. Antonin picked her up bridal style and carried her to the transfigured couch. He sat against the headboard Rodolphus had conjured and placed Hermione between his legs, her back to his chest. He circled his arms around her and began rubbing her belly.

"I agree with Finn, you are glorious when you are round with child,  _mishka_ ," Antonin said as he swept her hair to one side and dropped kisses on her shoulder. Hermione moaned and leaned back into him. She twisted so she could capture his lips, bringing his head to hers.

A hand grabbed each ankle and pulled them apart, spreading her wide before her wizards. Hermione attempted to look, but Antonin placed a steadying hand on her cheek and deepened the kiss. Hermione gasped when she felt a tongue swipe her slit and pulled back from Antonin. Thorfinn had crawled between her legs and was feasting on her. The Lestrange brothers watched, but couldn't keep their hands from fisting their own cocks. Hermione beckoned Rabastan and Rodolphus forward, each taking a side.

"Please, Bast, Dolph," Hermione cupped her breasts and held them out for the brothers. With a shared smirk, both leaned down and began nibbling on Hermione's nipples. She placed her hands on each of their necks and leaned back into Antonin's embrace. She had needed this. She looked down and seeing three heads bent over her was enough to push her over her edge.

"Gods," she screamed out as she came. Antonin held her in place as Thorfinn licked and cleaned her juices. Rabastan looked up from her chest with a grin and Hermione pulled him in for a kiss. She really needed a cock inside of her.

"Finn, Antonin, someone please," she begged as Rabastan broke their kiss and helped her to her knees. Thorfinn bent behind her, she could feel his massive hands on her hips.

"Bend over, Princess," he told her and placed a gentle hand on her back. Hermione bent and held herself up by her hands and knees. Thorfinn entered in one smooth motion and Hermione keened at the intrusion. She would never tire of this. Rabastan kneeled in front of her and grabbed his cock with his hand, positioning it at her mouth.

"Can you handle it?" he asked her tauntingly. Hermione narrowed her eyes at him and licked him from base to tip. She smirked when she saw his eyes flutter at her actions. She swirled her tongue around the head and licked the pre-come from his slit. She moaned when Thorfinn hit a particularly delicious spot inside her. Hermione took Rabastan's cock into her mouth as deeply as she could. She hollowed out her cheeks and sucked hard. Thorfinn's thrusts were causing her to moan, which vibrated Rabastan's cock and soon he was coming. She swallowed it all and then licked him clean. Rabastan groaned at the sight of Hermione licking him clean, and she grinned up at him.

Without warning, Thorfinn came inside her with a shout, causing Hermione's own orgasm. She pulsed around him and could barely hold herself up by the time the waves of pleasure ebbed.

"You ready for more,  _mishka_?" Antonin asked as he came to kneel behind Hermione.

"Gods, yes," Hermione responded. She would never get enough of her wizards, not in a lifetime of loving them.

Antonin entered her swiftly and Hermione moaned at the feel of him moving inside her. Then he grabbed her around her swollen belly and her chest and lifted so that her back was to his chest and she straddled his knees.

Rodolphus joined them, facing Hermione and helping Antonin keep her upright. She wasn't heavy, but she was very pregnant and the extra weight made coordination difficult for her. As Antonin slid in and out, building a rhythm, Rodolphus laved her breasts and nipples. They were bigger with this pregnancy than they had ever been and Rodolphus was a breast man. All of her wizards were, really.

"Antonin," Hermione groaned as his pace increased and she began to feel her orgasm climb.

Rodolphus was fisting himself, and Hermione felt her arousal rise watching him. Hermione knew he would want his own turn later that night, she was fine with that. She loved watching her wizards. She licked her lip in response to Rodolphus and caught his eye. He moved forward and caught her lips in a blistering kiss just as she tipped over the edge of her orgasm. She squeezed around Antonin's cock buried deep inside her and he came with a shout. Rodolphus followed not long after, painting Hermione's belly with his seed. Hermione grimaced at the feel of it but knew how much Rodolphus would enjoy seeing it.

She would have collapsed had it not been for her wizards holding her up. As they laid her back on the transfigured couch she asked, "Do I have time for a nap?"

"Always, Princess," Thorfinn responded with a chuckle. "The Wizengamot session won't start until you get there."

Hermione sighed, she had forgotten the Wizengamot was meeting that afternoon to formally approve the Werewolf Protection Act. She had been working on that act since she joined the newly minted Department of Magical Cooperation all those years ago.

"Don't worry, kitten. You have at least an hour until the Wizengamot meets," Rabastan told her as he began rubbing her swollen feet.

Hermione gasped, it was better than sex, having her feet rubbed when she was this pregnant.

"Sleep, love," Rodolphus said as he pulled her in close to hold her. Hermione nodded her agreement and was soon asleep. All was right in her world.


End file.
